


Between Love and the Rest of Our Lives

by ntasharomanvs (Study_in_Scarlett), redledgers



Series: two is better than one, but three is phenomenal [2]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: "Doesnt give a fuck" Bucky Barnes, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Bisexual Clint Barton, Clint's past, Cuddling & Snuggling, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Lots of it, Mentions of Past Torture, Multi, Natasha romanoff kicks ass, Oral Sex, Panic Attacks, Sex, Sharon and Maria are shameless accomplices, Threesome - F/M/M, asexual/Demi Natasha Romanoff, avengers academy au, beginning of poly relationship, natasha romanoff is a queen in this household, post avengers academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-26 19:58:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6253906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Study_in_Scarlett/pseuds/ntasharomanvs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/redledgers/pseuds/redledgers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha Romanoff graduated the Avengers Academy with two boyfriends, and yes, they do know about each other, despite what the others will tell you. Bucky, Clint, and Nat start their life together in a small flat in New York, facing nightmares, criminals, assassins, and themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginnings

It was a rumor that spread across the entire campus, and one that Natasha refused to refute or confirm. The world already seemed to know that she had two boyfriends, although neither complained much (they confronted each other about it after a few weeks but decided that they didn’t mind--Natasha was a lot to handle and although she wasn’t needy, there was more she needed that just one of them could offer). What they assumed was that she was fucking them both. Natasha thought it added to her air of mystery, but in reality, she just craved the intimacy of being close to someone without having to deal with all the rest of the stuff. 

When they’d graduated from the academy, free from school and training (but not from missions), they decided sharing an apartment was the best decision for all of them. It would be much easier than Natasha picking whom she would go to first because even if she did switch off, they knew situations would arise that could change that. A spacious one bedroom loft became their base, and Bucky insisted they buy the biggest bed possible. Pillows were stored in a bin under the bed for when one or both of them was gone and Natasha needed something to snuggle.

Natasha loved coming home from wherever to crawl in between them and think about the life she’d made for herself with two men who cared so much about her. When they got pets to add to their family, the bed became more cramped until Lucky was trained not to sleep there. (Clint still lets Lucky sleep in bed, but only when Bucky and Nat are gone on missions).

Clint was all soft edges and goofy, loved animals more than she did and made her laugh--especially when he would clumsily trip over air, or would fall asleep while eating a pizza and then Lucky, his one eyed dog, would sneak over and steal a slice of pizza from the box. 

Bucky seemed more stern to someone who didn't know him. His tells were subtle, but they were there if you knew how to look. A small smirk. A raised eyebrow. Crossing his arms over his chest or drumming his fingers against his jawline. Natasha loved his sense of humor and his passion for science. (She called him a nerd every day. It was her way of saying “I love you, don’t ever change”).

One particular evening, Natasha curled on the couch with a bowl of mac n cheese, and Liho hopped up to curl on her hip. She scratched his chin absentmindedly, eyeing the door while she ate. Clint had taken Lucky out for a walk, and Bucky was due back from Prague any minute. She was intent on enjoying the silence for a while longer, and dozed when she finished eating. Liho vacated his spot on her hip for a snack.

The door woke her, and Bucky appeared in front of her, a little disheveled but not too worse for wear. She pulled him down for a vicious kiss--he’d been gone too long and there was only so much of Clint she could take. 

“God, you’re starved,” Bucky laughed, when she let him go. “Plan on staying that way?”

Natasha shrugged, fixated on a the bag he was holding. Something was squirming and hissing (although was that Liho?) and she frowned at it. “What did you bring home?”

Bucky put the bag beside her and opened it. A bedraggled cat, too small to be an adult but too large to be a kitten, peeked out, looking up at him forlornly. “Got us a new companion. Her name is Baby Girl.”

“You didn’t.”

“Aww, baby, where’s that passion you had earlier?” He scooped the cat out of the bag and deposited her back on the couch cushions.

Natasha offered her hand for the cat to sniff. Baby Girl crept close before snapping at Natasha’s fingers. “Charmed.”

Bucky scooped up the short-legged grey cat and cuddled her close. Natasha nearly laughed as Baby Girl purred loudly, closing her little amber eyes and nuzzling up against Bucky’s stubbled jaw. “She’s probably just unsure of a new person.”

“What is she, a munchkin cat? Where’d you manage to find her, anyway?” Natasha sat up proper, making more space for Bucky so she could lean against him when he sat down.

“I think so,” Bucky murmured, letting out a yawn as he placed Baby Girl on his left shoulder and kissing Natasha’s head where it rested on his right shoulder. “She was in this dumpster in Prague, just wailing and crying. I think someone abandoned her. So I fished her out and gave her the beef out of my lunch, but then she followed me back to my safe house, and I couldn't just leave her there,” Bucky explained, petting the cat’s curly coat. 

“Liho isn’t going to like having a new friend here. You know how he feels about Lucky.” Natasha pillowed her head on Bucky’s shoulder and watched as the cat didn’t mind his metal arm.

“Liho gets along just fine with Lucky. Can't help that Clint’s dog likes to be a momma cat.” Bucky smiled down at the cat.

“Well, you’re never here to see him get a claw to the nose because he wanted some of Liho’s food.” Hearing his name, Liho crept over, investigating. He hid behind the arm chair and watched Baby Girl get cuddly.

“That was Lucky’s mistake. For such a skinny cat, Liho really loves his food,” Bucky laughed. 

“Hardly.” Natasha tried to tuck Bucky's hair behind his ear and was met with hissing from his cat.

Clint picked that moment to come back from his walk, and Lucky bounded over to greet Bucky with more enthusiasm than he should for a post walk action. To his credit, Clint pulled the dog back a little, giving Bucky some space. “Welcome back,” he said before kissing Natasha’s cheek. 

Lucky stuck his head in between Bucky’s legs and looked up. Seeing the cat, he eagerly surged up to lick her face. Surprisingly, Baby Girl hissed only once before quieting and let the dog lick her ears, purring quite contentedly. “Good girl.” Bucky cooed, petting his cat. Lucky finished slobbering over Baby Girl and moved to slobbering on Natasha, who goodnaturedly pushed his snout away. “Clint, you missed the kiss I got when I came in.”

Clint pouted. “Why didn’t I get that?” He squeezed beside Bucky. “Tasha, why didn’t I get one when I came in?”

“Because you were gone for an hour. He was gone for two weeks.” She draped herself over both of them. Baby Girl watched her cautiously, claws in check behind Bucky’s hands. 

“Still was gone.” Clint frowned. “Can I have a kiss now?” he asked, running his hands through his girlfriend’s fiery red hair. 

Natasha smirked. She craned up and pecked his chin. “That good enough for you?”

“I want what he got,” Clint whined, leaning down and trying to nose her cheek. 

“Patience,” she chastised, reaching up to cup his cheek. Her hand was warm, and Clint closed his eyes briefly.

Bucky laughed. “You sure you want as good as I got?”

“Don’t I deserve it?” Clint probably would’ve kept complaining more (for better or worse) but Bucky leaned over and kissed him, a pale imitation of Natasha’s greeting kiss, but enough that Natasha was startled. 

“Well then, that’s new.”

Clint felt a jolt of electricity, the good kind-- and Clint knew the bad from the good from experience-- and let out a soft whimper as Bucky pulled away, licking his lips and staring heatedly at Bucky. Clint surged forward to steal another kiss but was met with hissing and mean amber eyes glaring at him.

Natasha reached up between them and put two fingers on Clint’s bottom lip. “You see?” she asked softly.

“See what?” Clint looked down at her, grateful for the distraction from the small angry cat.

“See why I love him?” She stroked his cheek and earned his palm running down her front. Purring, she shifted against his touch. “We should feed Bucky, hmm?” She added, “Actual food” as an addendum when she saw Bucky’s face. The kiss had been attractive, but she wasn’t interested. Liho heard the word food and crept over, flicking his tail against the side of the couch. Baby Girl hissed at him.

“Hey. Be nice,” Bucky scolded his cat gently, earning a soft mew and Baby Girl eyed Liho apprehensively, but didn't hiss again. “Food is good. Food is great,” he added excitedly. 

Natasha scooped Liho up into her arms, running her hand down his long back. “I’ll feed you too,” she said. She sat up, careful not to bang heads with either of the boys, and padded to the kitchen to see what frozen food was easily cooked. She decided on pulling leftover rice out of the fridge and making stir fry with the frozen veggies. Liho draped himself companionably over her shoulders, only getting down when she opened the can of wet food. “I spoil you,” she murmured, spooning it into his dish. Liho swished his tail and crouched to eat.

Bucky and Clint hadn’t bothered to leave the couch, and Natasha grumbled about being a housewife as she brought bowls to them. She also put a napkin on the floor with a little wet food and some dry food as an appeasement for Baby Girl, and when Bucky put her down to eat, Natasha took advantage and crawled into his lap. “You’re obstructing my food intake,” Bucky noted, trying to hold the bowl in the same hand that was attached to the arm wrapped around her. 

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him and cuddled closer, making Clint snort.

“I think we have a third cat,” the blond man intoned seriously. 

“We do,” Bucky replied proudly, gesturing grandly to the scrap on the floor. “Now everyone has a furry creature to love them unconditionally.”

Lucky stuck his snout against the napkin and Baby Girl spat at him. He good-naturedly barked and plopped down beside her as if to supervise her dinner. Liho, having finished his own dinner quickly (in fear of the new guest), prowled around before curling contentedly on Natasha’s thigh. Bucky groaned. 

Clint, feeling left out, ate his stir fry in silence, eyeing Natasha and Bucky the entire time. He suspected he would be shooed away later for one of Natasha’s rare moments of sexual desire, although part of him wished he could help out, especially after the kiss.

Bucky turned to Clint and raised a questioning eyebrow. He was sure Natasha could feel his cock, still half hard from the kiss, against his pant leg. The other man had his pouting face on and was curled in on himself. 

Natasha smirked. The only time she really enjoyed her power was with Bucky and Clint, not anyone else. She had no intentions of following through with anything tonight, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun. She nipped Bucky’s chin when he swallowed his food, then glanced over to Clint. She stretched her leg out and stuck her foot into his lap. “I still love you too,” she said, wiggling her toes against his crotch.

Clint groaned and couldn't help but arch slightly into her touch. “I'm not so sure about that any more.” He murmured with a small, teasing grin. 

“Mm, well next time you get to leave for two weeks, and you’ll receive the same return gift.” She would’ve draped herself across them again but she was too comfortable tucked against Bucky. And Baby Girl was struggling to get up on the couch after climbing on Lucky’s back.

“What’s the return gift?” Bucky finished his food and set the bowl aside so he could hold her better and give Baby Girl a little help getting on the couch.

“You got it already.” Natasha eyed the small cat warily and was met with the same gaze. Baby Girl curled against Bucky’s thigh and dug her claws into Natasha’s leg in the ‘process’ of doing so. Natasha didn’t flinch, but she glared at Bucky long enough for him to remove the offending claws and earn a scratch of his own.

Clint finished off his food and called Lucky over, the yellow lab sitting down between Clint’s legs and panting happily as his owner pet him and scratched his ears. 

“Barnes, your cat needs better manners. And you need a shower.” Natasha wiggled a little, emphasizing the last bit, and made to tug him off the couch.

Bucky scowled before putting down his bowl and standing before Natasha could pull him to his feet. “If you insist.” He sighed, looking at Clint before turning to go down the hall that led to the bathroom. Little pitter-pattering of tiny paws signaled that Baby Girl was right on his heels. 

Natasha dropped back onto the couch and snuggled up to Clint. She hummed quietly, situating herself comfortably and closing her eyes.

Clint smiled softly, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling into her neck. “What's on your mind?” he asked quietly, looking up at her. 

“Am I fair to you both?” she responded softly. Usually she had no doubts, and both of them were wont to play jealous, but sometimes she got unsure. “Be honest with me.”

“You do remarkably well, and I get it. He’s been gone for two weeks, and you’ve been stuck with me. Not that it’s a bad thing, I just understand your focus right now.”

Natasha nodded silently. “I didn't mind being stuck with you. But it's a different feel--having three of us rather than two,” she murmured. 

“I know you like that feeling.” Clint heard the sound of the shower and kissed Natasha’s temple. “I help you wash dishes and we pick out pyjamas?” Not that he minded holding her, but he felt a little helpless by himself when he knew she wanted Bucky right now. 

Natasha nodded before gathering the dirty bowls and rinsing them in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher, letting Clint handle the pan she had used to cook dinner. They worked in companionable silence, Liho winding between their legs and Lucky wagging his tail, hoping leftover food would be dropped on the ground. Natasha dried her hands and went up to the loft bedroom. She tossed the shirt she’d been wearing to bed (Bucky’s) into the hamper and rummaged through his drawers for a tank top. “Clint, where’s your purple boxers?” she asked, making piles of pyjamas on the bed.

Clint climbed the stairs. “In the clean laundry pile.” Lucky bounded up after him, and he shooed the pup down. Liho, however, got by.

The shower turned off and Natasha picked up Liho, stroking the cat as she sat down on the large bed. A few minutes later, Bucky came up, towel haphazardly wrapped around his waist. Natasha nodded toward the clothing pile. “Thanks for shaving.” She set Liho down and pulled off her clothes, disappearing downstairs with only her towel and stolen clothes for her own shower. Baby Girl was on her way up after Bucky, hopping up the steps carefully, and she hissed when Natasha passed.

Natasha eyed the munchkin cat warily before making her way into the shower, enjoying the short time to herself no matter how much she missed James. She braided her hair when she got out of the shower and pulled on the clothes. “Your turn!” she called up to Clint, sauntering up the stairs.

Clint spared a small smile to Bucky before stripping down and making his way to the bathroom. He pecked Natasha's cheek as they passed on the stairs and took out his hearing aids before getting in the shower. Plunged into silence, he tried to shower quickly and washed his hair before shaving the short stubble of his jaw by touch alone. 

Natasha climbed into bed and tugged Bucky in, rubbing against him like a cat and clinging to him. She wanted to immerse herself in his scent. _“I missed you,”_ she mumbled in Russian, stretching across him.

 _“I missed you too, my love,”_ Bucky replied back, letting the Russian roll off his tongue. 

Clint finished his shower shortly and dried off before putting in his hearing aids. With partial hearing back, because he was still deaf even if he was wearing his aids, he felt normal again and scurried back upstairs to dress in a pair of SHIELD sweatpants before sliding in bed next to Natasha. He knew she loved to be cocooned between them. 

Natasha reached behind her and finger spelled “I love you” because it meant more than the one sign.

Clint smirked at the gesture and gently squeezed her hand in thanks. 

“I love your boxers too,” she added before snuggling back up to Bucky. Liho leapt onto the bed (Baby Girl was struggling) and tucked himself in the crook of Natasha’s knee. 

Bucky tsked softly and picked his cat up, placing her on the pillow by his head. “We need to get her some stairs for the bed,” he murmured as Baby Girl curled up by his head and purred happily. 

Natasha grumbled at the disturbance from Bucky moving to get the cat, and glared at Baby Girl. “Your cat is a demon,” she said, yawning. “If she scratches me in the middle of the night, I’m breaking up with you.”

“I'm too good of a cuddler, you wouldn't,” he teased. “Baby Girl be nice to Nat and Clint and Liho and Lucky,” he ordered gently, earning a soft mew in answer. 

“I would.” Safely pillowed against him, Natasha nodded off. Clint’s warm body pressed against her back, and she settled comfortably. She had never thought that this sort of life would be possible, but it had, and she intended on making it last as long as she could. Down time with all three of them had been few and far between lately, and this was a nice reprieve from sleeping alone.

Clint sighed softly and nuzzled into Natasha’s hair. He smiled at Bucky as the other man's eyelids fluttered before dozing off as well, wholly exhausted from his mission. The archer watched over the two others in the bed as they slept, not feeling tired enough to sleep yet. 

Clint’s mind started wandering, and he thought about how lucky he was to be here with these two amazing people and all their pets. He was finally free from his father and the circus, and he was starting to make a difference because of the academy. He curled closer to Natasha and dozed off lightly, one arm slung over her waist comfortably. 

He wasn't startled when 3 am rolled around and Natasha sat straight up in bed, panting heavily as her hand scrabbled for the knife she kept under her pillow. Liho lept off the bed, annoyed. “Tasha.” His voice was slurred with sleep. “It's okay. Everyone is safe,” he assured her. 

The redhead swallowed thickly before laying back down and Clint pressed closer. Natasha’s nightmares had become more frequent when Bucky was in Prague. He felt her shaking, but didn't comment. He knew that if he said anything, she would be out of bed quicker than he could apologize. 

Natasha still shook, clinging to Bucky and trying to use him to forget her nightmares. The movement stirred Bucky, who smartly said nothing but who held her closer. She didn’t sleep well for the rest of the night.


	2. What Happens in the Loft... Stays in the Loft.

Bucky woke her gently around 10, brushing his lips across her shoulder and jaw. “Clint’s making breakfast,” he said softly, nosing her cheek. “Are you okay?”

 She curled into him for a moment before regaining her composure and stretching out as languidly as she could manage. “Is it frozen waffles?” Her nose wrinkled.

 Bucky noticed the deflection for what it was, and let it slide. “Nah, he said something about blueberry pancakes,” Bucky laughed, kissing her shoulder.

 “Only you like pancakes that much,” Natasha whined, arching up. Her fingers skated over his metal arm. “I don’t want to leave the bed.”

“You don't have to. Clint’s bringing us breakfast in bed,” he whispered, moving to kiss her neck slowly, breathing in her scent. God, he had missed her so much.

Natasha allowed him to indulge for a while but shimmied away when she could hear Clint’s footsteps. “Don’t you dare get maple syrup on the bed. I washed the blankets yesterday.” She smoothed the blanket over her legs and took the tray carefully from Clint. “Did you put out Liho’s food while you were cooking?”

“Of course I did. Fed all the animals. Found a bowl for Baby Girl’s food,” Clint told her, climbing into bed beside Natasha. He watched as Bucky and Natasha dug into the pancakes before nibbling at one.

Natasha ate slowly. She was still shaken from her nightmares, but did her best to hide it. “Liho’s food that that demon is borrowing,” she corrected. “I hope you put their bowls in on different sides of the floor.”

“I'm dumb but I'm not that dumb, Tash,” he teased lightly. He shoved a folded pancake into his mouth and grinned.

Bucky shook his head at their antics and ate away at his pancakes, focusing on not getting syrup on the sheets. None of them were particularly fantastic at cooking, but they could manage pancakes well enough.

“Bucky agrees,” Natasha said, elbowing him. “He brought that thing home on purpose. Apparently we weren't good enough.” She joked, but it still hurt admitting that.

Bucky’s eyebrows shot up and he looked at Natasha with disbelief. “You're kidding,” he stated, only half a question.

“You got jealous that I had Liho to curl on the couch with so you had to go and get your own stray,” she replied matter of fact.

“Why did everyone get strays?” Clint reached over to steal half of Natasha’s last pancake. She snarled at him. “Could’ve adopted.”

“Same thing.” Natasha settled back against the headboard. “So, boys, any plans for the day?”

“I wanted to lay in bed all day,” Bucky piped up. He piled the dishes on the tray and balanced it on his lap.

“That,” Natasha remarked, stretching, “sounds positively luxurious.” She rolled over onto her stomach and nuzzled Clint’s hip.

Clint rubbed her back like he would a cat. “Let me put the dishes in the dishwasher and I’ll be back.”

  
Natasha whined the entire two minutes he was gone, but was content to let Bucky take over the task of stroking her back. When Clint returned to help, she was practically purring and he checked to see if Liho had snuck up on the bed. Natasha smacked him, but let Clint wrap her up in his arms. “Don’t abuse your privilege,” she said coyly.

“And what privilege would that be?”

Bucky cuddled up to them. “The privilege of her company and of being the object of her affection,” he answered for her.

Clint snorted, sliding a leg between Natasha’s to get more comfortable. “I wouldn't dream of it.”

Bucky rested his hand on the small of her back, a reassuring weight that she forgot she missed.

“I hope you boys know that we won't be in bed all day.” Natasha squeezed Clint's leg with her thighs before wiggling back against Bucky. Sharing could definitely be difficult, it was never this hard at the academy, where she didn’t have the luxury of a large bed.

Clint whined, pouting up at Natasha. “Why not?” he asked. “I bet Buck is exhausted,” he added, glancing at Bucky and willing him to play along.

Bucky laughed, shaking his head fondly. “So tired.” He rolled his eyes, pressing closer to Natasha and kissing her shoulder.

“Bucky can’t get his rest if we’re bothering him too much.” She twisted to nuzzle Bucky. “But I do want to stay close…”

Clint tugged at the waistband of her stolen boxers. “I’m gonna want these back, babe.”

“Fine.” Natasha promptly pulled them off and put them on his head. Now only in Bucky’s tank top, she settled back. “I’ll never wear your clothes again.” She purred again when Bucky’s metal hand, slightly cold, stroked her bare ass.

“I didn't say I wanted them back now...But I can't really protest the view,” he murmured, voice pitching lower as he moved to stroke the supple curve of her ass as well. The boxers that had been obstructing his view were now on the floor where they belonged.

Clint’s hand was warm. Natasha loved the touching well enough, and she felt only a tiny bit bad at leading them on, but they were used to it. She broke away from Clint’s embrace to sprawl on her stomach between them, ass in the air.

Clint smiled down at her. “Is that an invitation?” he asked, wanting to know how she was feeling today in terms of affection and sex.

  
“It’s permission for more touches.” Natasha craved intimacy and she knew that the next day she might not, so she was determined to get what she could out of this today. Maybe after dinner she’d be up for sex, if the boys looked like they needed it.

Clint and Bucky nodded almost simultaneously before moving into action. Bucky trailed the fingers of his metal hand up and down her back before Clint let his large hands wander over her ass, down her thighs before taking the same path up again. Natasha dozed, comfortable. She only stirred to arch into touches when Clint started to press gentle kisses on the path his hands took.

“Getting hard?” she murmured, peeking out between locks of hair.

“I am,” he whispered, gently nipping at the crease of her thighs and ass, soothing the sting by laving his tongue over the skin. “Am I gonna have to take care of this by myself?” he asked.

“I'd being willing to help,” Bucky rumbled, getting hard as well.

Clint raised an eyebrow and pillowed his cheek on Natasha’s ass to look at Bucky. “You bein’ serious?”

Bucky bit his lip and nodded. He had surprised himself in Prague by missing Clint just as much as Natasha. And he couldn't deny the sparks he felt and the heat that gathered low in his belly when he had kissed Clint last night. “I am.”

Natasha pouted. “Well where’s the fun in that for me?” She wiggled her ass so Clint would sit up, and rolled over so she could see them better. “Didn’t even get my top off and you want to keep me from the fun?”

Clint chuckled. “You're the one who said you only wanted more touches,” he reminded her gently.

“Well usually you’re not so eager to fuck.”

“It has been a while since I've fucked,” he laughed, running a soothing hand down her side. He turned to Bucky. “You wanna do the honors of removing our lady’s shirt?”

Natasha held onto the hem of the tank top and squirmed. “I told you that you could fuck other people so you didn’t have to hold out on me.”

Clint stared at her for a bit. “You must being fucking stupid if you think I would cheat on you because you don't like sex all the time,” he spit, words coming out a bit harsher than he intended.

“It’s not cheating, it’s an open relationship.” Natasha frowned. She suddenly felt small; this misunderstanding wasn’t huge, but it was enough.

Clint laughed, bitter, before standing up. “I never wanted an open relationship, Natasha. All I ever wanted was you. And Bucky. The three of us.” He pulled on a shirt and paused at the top of the steps momentarily, long enough for Natasha to speak.

“You didn’t have that problem at the academy with Jess,” she said softly before curling into Bucky.

“I went on one date with her. Because you were talking to Bucky and that was before the three of us talked things out,” he retorted. “I don't want anyone else. But if you do.. If you want an open relationship, you best let me know now.” His hands were shaking. “After the orphanage.. After the circus..” He paused. “You two are the only ones who ever wanted me. The only ones who ever loved me. So if you don't feel that way any more, let me know so I can pack my stuff.” Clint’s chest heaved with the feelings rolling through him as he waited for an answer.

 

“I thought…”

Bucky slipped an arm around her and looked at Clint. “It’s open because you and I aren’t technically together, right? Is that what you meant, Natasha?”

She burrowed closer.

Clint blinked once. Twice. “I want us _all_ to be together,” he whispered.

“Tasha, is that okay with you?” Bucky nudged her, trying to get her to peek out. “Nothing will change, just maybe Clint and I get to fuck every once in awhile.”

“And now we plan dates for all three of us, together.” Clint added hopefully, stepping closer to the edge of the bed.

Natasha raised her head. “I can’t lose either of you,” she managed, tugging awkwardly at her shirt.

“You won't, sweetheart. I promise,” Clint murmured, kneeling on the bed.

“I thought I was, I thought you were…”

Bucky sat up with her. “Shit happens, it was just a misunderstanding.” He would try and comfort her, but she seemed averse to touching now.

Clint nodded. “I'm sorry, Nat. I thought you wanted me to leave,” he admitted, hanging his head in shame.

“I didn’t, I just...I didn’t feel like fucking and I thought you wanted to, so I…” She reached out and put a finger on his knee. “I never cared at the Academy if you wanted to fuck other people, I know you did, and I was okay with it.”

Clint gave a half smile and scooted closer. “I was a fucking idiot back then,” he slowly brought his hand up to cup her cheek, giving her an opportunity to move away from the touch.

She started to, but stopped. “Not an idiot, I let you.”

“Yeah but now I know what I want. And it isn't meaningless sex for sex’s sake. It's you. And Buck. And Lucky and Liho and that demon cat,” he teased, laughing.

“She’s not a demon,” Bucky whined.

Natasha shrugged. “I’m not stopping you from doing whatever you two want to do, just as long as you don’t forget me.” As long as they didn’t ignore her needs when they arose, she wanted them to be happy.

Clint turned to Bucky with a crooked grin. “Hey Buck. Wanna be my boyfriend?” he asked.

Natasha pouted again and took her spot back against Bucky’s side. “No fair. I asked him first.”

“And I asked you out first,” Clint reminded her.

“Well I was planning to fuck him before the week was up, so it still doesn’t matter.” It seemed like things had been patched up, but Natasha was always skeptical until things remained that way for a few days.

“Except now you can have two pairs of hands worshipping you.” Clint waggled his eyebrows and Bucky chuckled at the other man's hopelessness.

“I had that before you had to go and fuck it up just now.”

Clint rolled his eyes. “Hey, it worked out pretty well for me. Now I have a boyfriend.”

“I'm with Clint on this one,” Bucky piped up, rubbing Natasha’s back.

She frowned. “I want those boxers back,” she said, feeling suddenly exposed.

Clint leaned down to scoop them up off the floor and handed them back to Natasha. “Do you forgive me for fucking things up for five minutes?” he asked softly.

She pulled on the clothes and looked at him. “I think so.”

That was the best he was going to get, and he’d take it. “Good. I couldn't bear it if you were angry at me,” Clint smiled softly, laying back down beside her.

“Can I get you anything?” Bucky played with the end of her braid.

Natasha shook her head. “Just more cuddles,” she responded cheekily.

Bucky kissed her gently. “We can do that.”

 

They piled together in a mass of limbs and sheets, Natasha securely in the center. Clint pressed close, rubbing Natasha’s legs as Bucky stroked her back and side. She hummed softly for a brief moment, before dozing off again, not realizing that she was still exhausted.

 

Clint kept petting the redhead, even after she dozed off, but reaching out to stroke Bucky’s flesh arm, smiling shyly at the other man occasionally. Liho crept up the stairs, followed by Lucky, and came up onto the bed for attention. Bucky allowed the cat into the pile, exhausted as he was, and lightly tapped Clint’s ass before dozing off himself.

Clint smiled at his partners before petting Lucky once everyone else fell asleep. The dog wagged his tail, begging to come up and join them. Clint shushed him and told him to lay down where he was on the floor before dozing off himself.

Natasha woke up shortly after. Her arm had fallen asleep and she was thirsty, so she slipped out of the bed and padded downstairs for a glass of water. Liho followed, jumping on the counter and sitting primly beside her. She idly petted him, then made herself tea instead of refilling her water cup.

There was a sad mew that echoed along the first floor. Baby Girl sat in front of the first step of the stairs, legs too tired to climb the long flight of stairs for the second time today. She looked pitifully at Natasha and mewed again.

“What is it, Satan?” Natasha called to Baby Girl. The little munchkin cat gave a soft whine, putting her front legs on the steps and struggling to get up. “You need some help? You gonna hiss at me if I help?” she asked, holding her mug of tea before picking up Baby Girl and tucking her underneath her arm, walking up the stairs. “Come on Liho,” she called to her cat, dropping Baby Girl gracelessly onto the mattress. The cat picked her way carefully across the bed to her owner.

Bucky stirred when fur obstructed his nose. “Tasha?”

  
“Your demon can only climb the stairs once, apparently. She better get bigger, and she probably needs shots.” Natasha sat down, cradling Liho who had jumped up with her.

Bucky nodded, yawning and rubbing his eyes. “I'll probably take her to the vet tomorrow,” he promised. “I still need to sleep off Prague.”

“If you don’t, I’ll make Clint do it, and he won’t like it.” She scooted back on the mattress and wedged herself between them. “What if I made it worth your while?” Liho’s tail swished as Natasha traced the seam on Bucky’s shoulder. Baby Girl made to jump on her hand, but a hiss from Liho stopped her.

“What are you proposing?” Bucky asked, picking up Baby Girl and cuddling her close to his chest.

Natasha shrugged. “Dinner in bed.” If he was awake enough, he would recognize the double entendre.

“What am I doing?” Clint mumbled, groggy and annoyed that he had been woken up.

Natasha patted his head. “Nothing. Go back to sleep.”

Bucky smirked at the innuendo and nodded. “If you're up for it,” he murmured. “I'll take her tomorrow,” Bucky promised.

“That works.” Natasha scratched Liho’s head and wiggled comfortable. She traced Bucky’s jaw absentmindedly. Baby Girl didn't try to snap at Natasha’s hand because she was too busy purring and receiving pets from Bucky.

Bucky hummed happily, leaning into Natasha’s touch.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?” Bucky’s eyelids fluttered closed when she ran a finger down the bridge of his nose.

“For putting up with me. For letting the whole school think we were fucking so that I felt safe. For coming back.”

Bucky laughed softly. “Of course. I would do anything for you, Tasha.”

 

Clint mumbled something unintelligible and flopped closer to them. Natasha giggled briefly and settled down to pet Liho while everyone else dozed. She only nudged the boys awake when she was hungry in the late afternoon, and she munched happily on the sandwiches Clint cobbled together. She moved to the couch downstairs, sprawling across it gracefully, daring a human blanket to join her.

“I should go to the gym tomorrow,” she said cautiously. She'd skipped sparring and she knew Bucky tried to keep her accountable. “Might go to the range afterward.”

“I'll come with you after I get Baby Girl’s shots done in the morning,” he murmured, laying on the couch, half on top of Natasha.

Clint sat on the floor, head against Natasha’s leg. She scratched his scalp gently. He turned on the TV to some mindless movie and closed his eyes, enjoying the attention he was receiving. It didn’t matter if anyone paid attention to the movie (clearly Natasha was though, offering a running commentary of snark throughout). When she stopped near the end of the movie, Clint thought she might have fallen asleep, but when he turned around, she had a hand on Bucky’s mouth to keep him quiet and the other hand on his ass.

Bucky’s eyes were half closed in pleasure as he arched into Natasha's touch. Natasha noticed Clint looking and let go of Bucky’s mouth to scratch at Clint’s scalp again. Clint vaguely remembered the “dinner in bed” promise, and wondered if he’d be allowed in bed or told to stay downstairs (where he’d still be able to hear them--Natasha was not a quiet fuck). He pouted softly, leaning into Natasha's touch, hoping he'd be able to hold her as Bucky ate her out.

“What's that look for, _sobachka_?” Natasha asked, smiling down at Clint.

Clint shrugged. “You know why.” If she wanted him to be a part of her little game, whatever one she was playing, she’d let him know soon enough.

Bucky shifted and scraped his teeth against Natasha’s shoulder. “My ass wants more attention if you’re willing,” he said. “I mean there’s another set of hands if you don’t.”

Natasha ran her hand down his chest. “I promised you dinner in bed, didn’t I?” She realized suddenly that at no point in their relationship had all three of them been in the same space when she had sex. “I mean….” she faltered.

Bucky blinked, noticing her change in demeanor, as slight as it was. “What is it?” he asked gently, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“If we’re gonna...in the same room essentially….I just....we’ve never…” Natasha was definitely not an exhobitionist, not unless she had to be or had some reason to be.

“We can take it as slow as you want,” Bucky promised her. “Clint can come in once you're relaxed, or once you feel comfortable,” he murmured, earning a nod of agreement from Clint.

“But he’ll still be here?” She shifted, unsure.

“I'll be wherever you want me,” Clint murmured, smiling softly up at Natasha.

Natasha looked between Clint and Bucky, then tentatively ventured, “Downstairs?”

“If you want, love,” Bucky nodded, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

“No, I promised you bed.” Natasha gathered herself up. “Clint stays downstairs.” She released both of them and got off the couch, giving Bucky something to look at when she drew him up the stairs. Kissing him passionately, she tugged him onto the bed and on top of her so she could wriggle beneath him.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Bucky was pretty sure she was sure, but he always asked. It was better to be safe than sorry, especially around Natasha.

She bit her lip and nodded. “Steps, though.” Steps meant each time he wanted something (or vice versa), he would ask, and they would take each action step by step. Natasha hadn’t needed to outline it at the beginning and she didn’t always use it, but she loved that it existed. It made her feel safe and it gave her control over the situation.

“Steps,” Bucky agreed, breathless. He kissed her a bit longer, taking pleasure in the way Natasha’s teeth would pull his lower lip.

She scraped her nails down his chest, causing him to shiver and stop kissing her long enough to ask quietly, “Can I take off your clothes?”

Natasha paused before nodding. “Only if you take off yours too,” she murmured, the corner of her mouth turning up in a coy smirk.

Bucky’s sweatpants were shed easily and he slipped his tank top off of Natasha smoothly enough to warrant a purr and a nip. She wriggled out of Clint’s boxers and froze for a fraction of a second before resting her palms on the back of Bucky’s shoulders. “I promised you dinner, hmm big boy?”

Bucky nodded, eyes wandering down her body and back up to her face like he couldn’t decide where to start. Natasha was unashamed about being naked most of the time, even when sex wasn’t involved, but being able to see her in this position was always a treat. “Kisses?”

Natasha’s eyes darkened and she wrapped her legs around his hips, holding him down over her. “Yes.”

Bucky leaned in and captured her lips passionately, cupping her cheek with one hand, while the metal hand held him up above her. He kissed her until they were both panting and breathless, biting his lip shyly. “Can I kiss my way down your body?” he asked, letting his eyes wander over her naked form.

“Yes.” She loosened her leg grip on him and stretched out, arching.

Bucky started kissing her neck, marking her up with soft bites. He kissed down her chest, taking a moment to nibble at her breasts and rolling his tongue around one of her nipples. He waited until Natasha’s breathing got heavier and she was squirming under him. Her noises were almost at full volume already, but he was never entirely sure how much of that was for show.

“Is this good?” she asked, meeting his gaze.

“You're perfect,” he whispered, moving back up to kiss her lips before taking his path down to the main attraction. He kissed her belly gently before moving to kiss and nibble at her inner thighs, letting her squirm in pleasure before pausing and looking up at her. “Can I eat you out now?” he asked, resting his palms, one flesh and one metal, on her thighs.

“Yes but,” Natasha held up a finger, “is this good?”

Bucky scraped his teeth against her raised finger. “Yes. This is good.”

She pulled her finger away and rested her fingertips on the crown of his head, pushing gently. “Go down.”

 

Bucky eagerly complied, running the flat of his tongue up her slit before flicking it lightly against her clit. The first time he’d done this, she had instructed him on how best to eat her out, but she was always open to exploration. Natasha mewled loudly, and he sucked her clit to see how loud she would get. He was pleased as her cries got louder and her breathing grew heavier. He lightly pushed his tongue into her, his nose, mouth, and chin getting coated in her juices. He was in heaven. He ran his tongue up her folds and rolled his tongue against her clit, sucking on the sensitive bud and lightly scraping his teeth against it. That always set her off. When Natasha began gyrating her hips against his mouth, coming close to choking him out with her thighs, and tugging his hair, he knew she was getting close. He pulled away, licking his lips, and ignored Natasha's frustrated mewl. “Can Clint come up now?” he murmured, gently rubbing her thighs. “If not, that's fine. I'll bring you off. But I really think you'll like it,” he added softly.

Natasha scratched his scalp. “What’s he gonna do?” It was an honest question. She shifted, hoping she could rub her thighs together to keep up the sensation, but Bucky kept them apart.

“Whatever you want him to do.” He rubbed his cheek against her thigh. “Do you want him to?”

She considered this for a moment. Bucky had gotten what she promised, so they could go off book, she supposed. She nodded, keeping eye contact.

Bucky called down to Clint. “Hey Hawkeye, the lady requests your presence.” Natasha slapped his cheek.

 

The sound of scrambling and someone tripping echoed in the apartment, and Clint appeared in the loft half undressed and confused. Natasha reached toward him doing grabby hands, and he obliged, coming cautiously to sit on the bed beside them. “You called?”

She shrugged. “Bucky, you’re going to have to start again or I’m leaving.” She tightened her thigh grip for good measure.

Bucky chuckled, licking a stripe up her core to appease her and get her to relax her thighs. “Clint, go sit behind Natasha, hold her still and make sure she doesn't kill me.”

Natasha rolled her eyes but leaned into Clint’s touch and settled against his bare chest. As Bucky got back to business, she had to admit that it felt nice to have another warm body, and “oh… Fuck!” Natasha whined as Clint’s calloused fingers gently twisted and rolled her nipples. He started kissing her neck, nibbling at her pulse point. Combined with the way Bucky was suckling at her clit, she was set off, and she came with a loud whine and a few curses, shaking in between them.

Bucky's yelp snapped her out of her orgasm and she realized she'd tightened her grip on him when she came. Embarrassed, she relaxed her thighs and settled more against Clint.

Clint kissed Natasha’s shoulder and lazily traced circles onto her hip with his thumbs as Bucky untangled himself from Natasha’s thighs. “How was that for you?” Bucky asked Natasha, sitting up across from her and Clint.

She stretched languidly. “Good.” A sly grin. “Did you enjoy dinner?”

“It's always my favorite dinner.” Bucky chuckled softly, patting her calf. “You wanna taste?” he teased, looking from Natasha to Clint.

Clint nodded, leaning forward with Natasha still resting against him to kiss Bucky, moaning lightly against his lips as he tasted Natasha. He nipped at Bucky’s lip before settling back again.

Natasha whined and scratched at Clint’s arm.

Clint chuckled. “What is it, love? Did you want a taste too?” he cooed softly.

She twisted in his lap, straddling him, and pressing her still wet core against his boxers. “Be glad I let you help,” she purred.

“Trust me...I am very, very glad,” he murmured, letting his hands rest on her hips. Clint licked his lips subconsciously and couldn't help the way his hips arched up to press up against her, groaning as he could feel her wetness, even through the boxers he still had on.

“What’s that?” she teased, climbing off and going back to Bucky. “Do you have something to say?”

Clint groaned. “You're gonna be the death of me, woman,” he complained. 

  
Natasha just smirked. “Well, what is it that you want?” She inspected her nails nonchalantly.

“You. Any way you want.” Clint smiled at her.

“Well, that’s just not fair,” she retorted. “See, I gave Bucky his option, and he liked it well enough, but he might want a little more.” She pressed her ass against his groin to emphasize her point. “On the other hand, I could be done for the day.”

“Well, give me an option then,” he purred back, trying to match her tone. “You could have both of us, wouldn't that be nice sweetheart?” Clint let his voice drop to a lower pitch, the one he knew that affected Natasha the most, trying to persuade her.

She raised an eyebrow. “And how do you propose that would work?” Natasha kneaded Bucky’s thigh for lack of something better to do.

“We could take turns.. Or we could do something else depending on how kinky you're feeling…” He smirked.

Natasha’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Both of us. At the same time.” Clint shrugged. “Up to you, Tasha.”

 

Natasha was usually game for whatever was suggested; she was eager to please, but this time she hesitated. To keep her edge, she folded into an act. “Well, you’ll have to elaborate.”

“One of us on either end, or if you're still into anal…” he trailed off, shrugging. “Or maybe I want Bucky’s cock in me, or vice versa.”

Bucky shifted. “Well...What exactly would you have Natasha do if I was balls deep in your ass?”

Natasha let out a small gasp and held on to the end of Bucky’s hair.

“Obviously, I would be balls deep in her,” Clint shot back at Bucky with a smirk.

She tugged Bucky’s hair, and he leaned down so she could whisper into his ear and tell him that it scared her. The act itself didn’t, she understood it, but the thought of being underneath them, as if they could crush her any second, was a tad frightening.

Bucky nodded. “ _We wouldn't crush you_ ,” he murmured in Russian quietly. “ _Would you be more comfortable being in his lap?_ ”

She bit her lip and glanced back at Clint, who, despite his hearing aids, was having trouble hearing their conversation. The lap sounded appealing, but Clint seemed more interested in getting fucked then fucking.

“What's up?” Clint asked, looking between them. He hated feeling lost and left out of what probably should be group decisions.

“Do you….” Natasha paused for a moment. “Do you want to fuck or be fucked?”

“I would prefer to fuck right now,” he answered. There would be time to get fucked later, and it had been a while since he had had sex.

She let go of Bucky’s hair. “And you?”

“I'm just a ball of sexual tension. I'll fuck whoever wants to be fucked,” Bucky chuckled. It had been four weeks since the last time he had sex, and it seemed like forever ago.

Natasha sighed. “No anal this time.” If they wanted to swap off, they could.

Bucky and Clint nodded simultaneously. “You can go first,” Bucky told Clint. “I think I’d like to watch this time.” He nudged Natasha toward Clint again, and she crawled willingly into his lap. Bucky found the pack of condoms under the laundry pile and tossed one toward Clint. “Knock yourself out.”

Clint nodded his thanks before opening the condom and sliding it on his still hard cock. “Come here, Tasha,” he whispered, gently guiding her down for a sweet kiss.

She pressed her cunt against his cock and kissed him so sweetly that by comparison, the act was dirty.

“I love you,” Clint signed before shifting his hips up and gasping as his tip caught against her entrance.

“I love you too,” she replied, sinking down on his cock slowly and steadily. Clint’s eyes fluttered shut and his mouth gaped into an ‘o’, and Natasha couldn't help but smirk at the fact that she could render him speechless.

She tucked her head under his chin and rocked, lifting off him a tad. Bucky moved so he could settle against the headboard beside Clint and watch. Occasionally he brushed his hand against her breast or tilted his head to watch as her slick folds moved up and down on Clint’s dick. Natasha coaxed Clint loudly, egging him on and telling him how good he felt. She knew he was close; he’d been hard for a good while before she got on him. But instead of indulging him all the way, she climbed off of him and onto Bucky’s lap, sinking down on him before he knew what hit him. Clint whined, but was completely interested in watching.

Bucky was about to make a comment about condoms, but Natasha stopped him, shoving her breasts at his mouth and demanding for them to receive attention. He acquiesced, licking and sucking her nipples as she rode him noisily. He helped, thrusting up into her and holding her down longer so she wouldn’t bail for Clint too soon.

Clint stroked himself as he watched them, biting his lip harshly to try and distract himself from coming before he had Natasha again.

After a while, Bucky released his grip on Natasha and she moved back over to ride Clint again, snapping her hips quick and dirty. Bucky fumbled around to put on a condom as he watched Natasha fuck Clint.

“Fuck baby,” the archer whined, throwing his head back. “I'm gonna come.”

“Yeah, that’s the point,” she replied breathlessly, clenching.

Clint smirked before he went stiff as he reached his climax, groaning as he gripped her hips and came. He closed his eyes and rode out his orgasm before relaxing onto the bed.

Satisfied, Natasha moved over to Bucky and sunk down on his waiting cock, setting a fast pace as she rode him. He couldn't help but curse in Russian as she gripped his shoulders and snapped her hips down against his, clenching around his cock. “C’mon soldier,” she teased. “Got you all riled up, didn’t I?”

“Careful, Natalya,” he warned gruffly, grabbing her hip with his flesh hand and letting his metal one start rubbing her clit. “You might not like how rough I'll get.” He smirked, starting to rock his hips up into hers faster.

“Don’t ruin that hand of yours,” she smirked.

Clint watched them, astonished at the verbal sparring but too tired to do anything else.

Bucky flipped them over before pausing. “ _Is this okay_?” he asked softly.

“Hurry up and fuck me, asshole,” Natasha bit impatiently.

Bucky chuckled before pulling her hips up and then setting a brutal pace, chasing his climax, but wanting her to come first. “Clinton, put your mouth on her,” he ordered in a tone that warranted no argument. Clint shuffled over to slide between them, starting to suck at her clit as Bucky fucked her.

Natasha whined and pushed Clint's face away. He took the hint and instead kissed her inner thighs and nibbled gently at the sensitive spot of her inner knee. She pushed him away again, more forcefully. “C’mon Bucky. I know you’re close,” she growled.

  
“You first,” he responded between thrusts.

Natasha shook her head and squeezed his cock within her. “Come on,” she whined.

Clint couldn't help but chuckle now as Bucky pressed his hips flush against hers and ground the tip of his cock into her g-spot. “Come on beautiful,” he encouraged, stroking her hip.

“No. You better fucking come or I’m going to kill you.” She scratched his ass.

 

Bucky grunted and decided he didn't want to die today. He started snapping his hips into her again, coming a short moment later with a cutoff moan. She smirked and let him rest on her for a moment before pushing him off. “Condoms in the trash, boys.”

“I never miss,” Clint said. “And mine is already in there.” He stumbled down the stairs for a washcloth to clean her up.

“What about you?” Bucky asked softly.

“What do you mean?”

“You didn't come again. Was one just enough for today or…?” Despite his outward appearance of ‘fuck everything’, he cared immensely about his partners getting off.

“You had fun, right?” Natasha stretched out as Clint gently cleaned her up. “That’s what I care about.”

Bucky nodded. “I had tons of fun. I just want you to be good.”

She smiled. “Then I’m good.” She kissed them both gently. “I want thai food for dinner and you’re miserable cooks.”

“I'll order the Thai food,” Clint volunteered, “and maybe sign up for a cooking lesson.”

“If it’s free, cheap, or doesn’t involve solely breakfast food, I advise it.”

Clint snorted. “Pushy.” He feigned offense but dialed the Thai restaurant and ordered everyone's regular before hanging up and curling up with Natasha in bed.

 

Natasha reached out and played with Bucky’s hair. “Was Prague okay?” she asked softly. Liho sensed the silence and came up to the loft, curling against Natasha’s stomach.

Bucky smiled softly. “It was hell. I'm glad to be home,” he murmured quietly, pressing his face into Natasha's shoulder.

She hummed softly to him, massaging his scalp gently. “It’s not exactly like we signed up for this shit,” she said softly. “Well, Clint might have. But we didn’t, and I guess that’s okay too.”

Bucky nuzzled closer, trying to relax. Liho kneaded his arm, then settled again. Baby Girl hopped up on the chair beside the bed, and then onto the bed, curling up against Bucky’s stomach. Liho meowed, annoyed that his space was being taken up, and Natasha soothed him too, humming again and closing her eyes briefly.

Bucky focused on his breathing and soon there was a knock at the door. “I'll get it.” Clint called, getting out of bed and getting dressed to pay for food and bring it back to bed. 

  
“No food in bed,” Natasha said, shooing him back downstairs. She got off the bed and rummaged in her closet for a robe. Liho hopped onto her shoulder when she bent down to put socks on, and she took him down too.

“Aww… Nat.” Clint pouted but brought the food downstairs anyways.

Bucky rolled over in bed, cuddling his cat, not really wanting to move. Natasha brushed her fingertips against his cheek. “Coming, _kotik_? Or I can put your portion in the fridge for later if you’d like.”

Bucky leaned into her touch slightly. “I'll have it later. I think I need a nap right now,” he mumbled, explaining.

Natasha kissed his temple. “We wear you out?” She didn’t wait for a reply, and went down to eat her own dish. Bucky just grunted before nuzzling into Baby Girl’s fur and starting to doze off.

“No Buck?” Clint asked quietly.

“He’s taking a nap.” She clicked her chopsticks. “You boys and your post sex naps. I’ll never understand it.”  Lucky sat at her feet, begging for a taste of her food. She presumed Clint had already fed him some and nudged him back toward Clint.

Clint fed Lucky another piece of beef from his pad Thai, despite a disapproving look from Natasha. “You wear us out,” he chuckled, eagerly digging into his meal with chopsticks.

“Well, that’s satisfactory, right?” Liho rubbed his cheek against hers. “Be a dear and get him a can of wet food?”

Clint nodded, setting his food down before scooping Liho’s wet food into his dish, petting the cat’s back before going back to his food. Liho swished his tail amicably and slipped onto the seat beside Natasha to eat. “I mean you wear us out in a fun way, but I wouldn’t call it satisfactory. That sounds too clinical, like a mission rating.”

Natasha pursed her lips and shrugged. “What would you call it then?”

“Damn good?” He offered a cheesy smile.

Natasha couldn't help but smile at Clint’s general dorkiness. “You know...I love you. I don't say it often, but I do.”

Clint put an arm around her. “I know, babe. I’m glad you brought me along for the ride.”

Natasha smiled sadly. “I'm glad you're still here. You put up with a lot from me,” she murmured. Liho picked up his can of food and climbed into Natasha’s lap with it, jealous of the attention she was getting that he wasn’t.

“Wouldn’t be you if I didn’t have to. Trust me.”

Natasha smiled, petting Liho and eating with the other hand. “I’m flattered.”

“What’s next?” Clint put his empty takeout to the side and snuggled more with Natasha. “You’re the boss, what’s the next plan?”

“Mmm, we watch a movie, join Bucky in bed, and tomorrow I go to base and do a little training.” She moved Liho’s now empty bowl aside and swung her legs into Clint’s lap. Lucky propped his head on her shins. “You’re welcome to join any of that or none of that.”

Clint started massaging the arches of her feet absentmindedly. “I'm ok with all of it. I need to work on some trick shots anyways. And see if Tony has worked on my trick arrows.” Clint smiled.

Natasha purred. “Well, maybe Bucky will be up for some sparring. It’s been a while since I kicked either of your asses.” Bucky was a better sparring match for her, but only because of his enhanced metal arm. But even if he didn’t tag along, she knew she could find someone on the base to wipe the floor with.

Clint laughed. “Last time I sparred with you, I had bruises over my entire body. I could barely move,” he groaned dramatically. 

“That’s why I didn’t volunteer you this time. I’m not wasting another half hour giving you a massage for being inadequate at hand to hand combat.”

“Maybe you should teach me instead of kicking my ass,” he teased lightly. “Or maybe I'll ask Buck.”

“He’ll just be harder on you than I will. At least I’m smaller than you. He’s not.” She smirked, kissing his cheek.

“You and I both know that you being smaller than me has no effect on our sparring.” Clint laughed, turning his head to peck her lips.

“It depends on what sort of sparring you’re talking about.” She fumbled around for the television remote and pushed it into Clint’s hand. “Again, find something entertaining. When I get too tired, you’re in charge of carrying me to bed.”

Clint laughed and surfed channels. “Babe, you know if you’re going to be that demanding, you might as well buy a strap on.”

“That’s what Bucky’s for.” Natasha deadpanned.

Clint snorted and put on DogCops, laughing as Lucky came back to the couch excitedly as the theme song started playing. “But the thought of you fucking us is pretty hot too,” he added.

“I aim to please, even if it’s just in the imagination.” She cradled Liho and closed her eyes. “Hey Clint? Would you ever consider taking out your hearing aids during sex? Like the next time, as a sensation thing?”

Clint bit his lip and nodded slowly. “I trust you and Buck,” he murmured quietly. “If you want that, I'll do it.” He was rightfully hesitant, since the last time he kept his hearing aids out was when he was living with his father.

“I don't necessarily want it, but if it’s something that sounds appealing, we can.” She nuzzled him. “It’ll be okay.”

“I'll give it a try, for you. But I'll need a safe word or something,” he murmured, kissing her forehead.

“Of course,” Natasha agreed. “You know I always take care with such things.” Hell, they even had a general safeword for Natasha during sex, something she’d used a few times but not recently.

Clint smiled, cuddling her closer. “I know you do,” he whispered, “and we appreciate it.”

 

She dozed off, only waking when Clint started to move her up to the loft. Liho hopped up for the ride as well, and Clint put them on the bed beside Bucky. She automatically snuggled up to him. “Hey _kotik_ , wanna spar tomorrow?”

“Mmm what’s that mean?” he mumbled, shifting to adjust to his bedfellows.

  
“M gonna kick your ass,” she replied. “But first I’m gonna sleep.”


	3. In which Natasha Romanoff kicks ass

They got up the next morning, and headed to the SHIELD base after making sure the pets wouldn’t tear apart the place and had been fed breakfast. Bucky promised to take Baby Girl to the vet the next day, and even called to schedule an appointment. Natasha went immediately to the firing range, leaving Clint and Bucky to decide what they wanted to do. She enjoyed the solitude of shooting, and it helped that not soon after she arrived everyone cleared out so as not to disturb her and somehow earn her wrath.

“You wanna help me get better at sparring?” Clint asked Bucky. 

“Is Natasha asking you to wear me out before she gets to me so she can have a better advantage?” Bucky grinned. 

“No, yesterday she was complaining about how bad I was at it.” Clint pouted. “I don’t do a ton of on the ground combat, but I might need to some day.”

“Natasha doesn’t complain. How about I teach you after I spar with her, so that I’m not tired when I see her. And maybe you can show me those arrows in the meantime.” Bucky winked. He ducked into the locker room and put away his jacket.

Clint nodded, grabbing his duffel which housed his bow and arrows and waited for Bucky before smiling at him. “Are you planning to add archery to your list of assassination tactics?”

“Nah, I’ll leave that to you.” Bucky checked over the armory and picked up a rifle to disassemble idly.

“You just want me to teach you how to fire a bow?” he smirked, waggling his eyebrows. 

“I could teach you a few things about firing. I’m more interested in those crazy arrows. I’ve seen your lists.”

Clint grinned, rummaging through his bag. “Lucky for you, I just got some test arrows from Stark a few days ago. But we should go outside to the firing range to use them.” He produced long boxes and opened one up to show Bucky. Inside was an arrow with a round tip.

“Ooh, the outdoor range. Now I’m excited.” Bucky, with every air of disregard for the weapons policy on base, picked up the rifle casually to carry it out with him. “Let’s go.”

After finishing up at the pistol range, Natasha chatted with Sharon and Maria. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed their company, albeit in brief increments of time. At the beginning of her time at the academy, Natasha had distrusted everyone immediately, despite frequent attempts to befriend her, but she had struck up a relationship with a few of the students outside of Bucky and Clint. And sometimes it felt nice to be wanted in some way by people other than them. 

“I heard about the Prague mission,” Sharon murmured to Natasha. “Some heavy shit went down, apparently. Coulson didn't go into detail, but I could tell it wasn't good.” 

“Bucky didn’t go into detail either, but he was a little withdrawn yesterday. And he brought home a cat.” Natasha shrugged. “I don’t want to push him, but I can’t help without knowing, and he’s doing a fantastic job covering it up now.”

Sharon nodded understandingly. “He’ll talk about it when he's ready.” 

“I might have to fuck it out of him first.” Her phone buzzed, letting her know that the boys were finished with whatever shenanigans they had done to pass the time. “But first you could watch me kick his ass.”

Sharon smirked and turned to Maria, who nodded eagerly. “I'm always up to witness a Romanoff ass kicking,” Maria laughed, shrugging on a jacket. They followed Natasha to the gym, and she changed into a sports bra and spandex.

Bucky and Clint were already there, laughing about some mishap they’d had with the trick arrows, and Bucky flagged her over. She kissed both of their cheeks, because Sharon and Maria weren’t stupid, and let a feral grin onto her face. “You ready?”

Bucky smirked and nodded. “How about you? Ready for me to break our tie in my favor?” he teased, shrugging off his hoodie and handing it to Clint. The running shorts he had on were good to spar in because they weren't too loose. 

Natasha led him over to the mat, putting a little sway into her hips. Sparring didn’t have to be sexual, but if it gave her an advantage and taught him restraint, she was always happy to lend a hand.

Bucky grinned predatorily and bit his lip, bending his knees a little as they got onto the mats. “Best two out of three?”

“You’re not allowed to up that every time you lose. I’m holding you to it.” Natasha squared off, still grinning.

Clint couldn't help the little butterflies he got in his belly, watching the two of them spar. They ducked and spun around each other almost in a dance (Clint always wondered if Bucky had also been a dancer), and they only pulled their punches when lethal areas were being hit. Natasha took Bucky down easily the first time, sweeping his legs out from underneath him and sitting on his back, pulling his hair sharply. 

Bucky tried to jerk his head free but tapped out when he realized he had lost. “Alright, Natashenka. Round two,” he murmured as he got back up to his feet. He attacked first now that he was warmed up, adding in roundhouse kicks and flips and even somersaulted out of an arm hold. He eventually managed to get Natasha in a choke hold with his bionic arm, having learned that she would bite her way out if he used his right arm. She reached around and yanked his hair again, spitting and struggling, but she acquiesced. 

When he let her down, she didn’t wait for them to square off again and dropped down so she could wrap her legs around his neck. Natasha brought him down while he was still off balance, sat on his neck, and put a palm on his crotch. “I win,” she said, scratching his face.

Bucky groaned. “Cheater. Will you let me up?” he choked out, standing up and rubbing his neck when she lifted off of him. 

Clint grinned and went over to kiss Natasha’s cheek. “A kiss for the winner,” he leaned over to kiss the corner of Bucky’s lips, “and a kiss for the loser.” Sharon catcalled from the other side of the mat, and Maria joined in when Natasha grabbed Clint for a better kiss.

“She cheated!” Bucky huffed. 

“I did not cheat. I simply showed you what your weaknesses were.” She planned on slapping Clint shitless when they got back simply for showcasing her affection. Or just for fun. 

Clint grinned. “Awh, Buck. It's okay. You're a winner to me.”

“No he’s not.” Natasha wandered to the locker room to grab her clothes. She came back out with a bag over her shoulder. “Now what?”

Bucky shrugged. “I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty hungry,” he said, putting his hoodie back on. 

“Well you have leftovers in the fridge.” Natasha tugged one of his hoodie strings. “I might have you.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Well, as long as I get food first, I'm okay,” he told her. 

“Come on then, there’s frozen pizza for Clint and I.” She swept by her friends, saying goodbye, then stopped to wait for the boys to catch up.

Bucky nodded, waving a shy goodbye to Maria and Sharon, taking Clint and Natasha by the hand to walk with them out to the car.


	4. In which Natasha gets a show

Immediately upon arriving back at home, Natasha put the pizza in the oven to cook. “Clint, you’re in charge of taking it out when it beeps,” she said, heading to the shower to rinse off from her workout. Bucky thought about following her, but he was hungry and opted for heating up his leftovers. 

Natasha dried off after her shower and opted not to put clothes on. She picked Liho up and carried him over to the counter to feed him. “That’s my good boy,” she said, petting him.

Bucky’s noodles almost fell out of his mouth, but he recovered quickly. 

“What are you staring at?” Natasha didn’t even need to turn around as she spooned food into a bowl for Liho. “If you want ass, you’ll have to take that up with Clint.”

Clint raised an eyebrow and shrugged, confused. “After I eat?” he asked. The oven beeped and he lunged to take the pizza out.

Bucky looked back at Natasha before turning to Clint. He gave the other man a quick nod before finishing off his noodles. “Definitely.”

Clint laughed, cutting the pizza into slices, giving himself the bigger ones. He put one on a plate and slid it across the counter to Natasha. “I'll bottom.” 

She nudged Liho away from the plate and leaned over to eat it. “Do I get to watch, or is this boys only?”

Bucky cleaned up his dish and sidled up to Natasha. “You can watch.” He kissed her shoulder and went to get a can of food for Baby Girl. “I’ll be on the couch when you want me.” His cat heard him open the tin and she scrambled over, meowing loudly. 

Natasha ate slowly, eyeing Clint with a sultry smile, and nudging a curious cat away from her food.

“You can watch if you'd like,” Clint said, trying to return her gaze while shoving pizza in his mouth. “I think we're both okay with that.”

“Brush your teeth first, kissing you after you’ve eaten pizza is rough.” She cleaned up, putting the leftovers in the fridge. Liho hopped off the counter and followed her. 

“Hey, you didn’t complain back at the academy!”

“I can afford to complain now.” She wandered to the bookshelf, picked a book, and draped herself over the armchair. Liho hopped into her lap, curling on her stomach with a purr. 

Clint snuck away to brush his teeth quickly before moving to straddle Bucky’s lap. “Hey stud,” Clint purred, leaning in to cup Bucky’s face and kiss him. 

Natasha glanced up from her book, but made it very clear that they weren’t interesting enough yet to watch.

Bucky hummed happily, feeling arousal start to build in his gut as he gripped Clint’s hips, kissing him back passionately. His hips rolled up against Clint’s and he broke away from the kiss to moan at the friction. 

Clint took that as an opportunity to kiss along Bucky’s cleanly shaven jaw, nipping gently at the skin and moving to suck a small hickey under the strong angle of his jaw. 

“Are you two just going to make out or are you actually going to fuck because I’m trying to read here,” Natasha said without looking up from her book again.

Clint flipped off Natasha before moving off Bucky to grab a condom and the small bottle of lube they kept, as Bucky undressed, stroking himself slowly. 

“How do you wanna do this?” Bucky asked, taking the supplies from Clint as the archer undressed. 

“Not on the couch,” Natasha answered, waving her hand dismissively. She turned a page, scratching Liho’s head when he mewed. 

“On the rug?” Clint suggested with a smirk. 

“Have fun cleaning the carpet.”

Clint groaned and started climbing the stairs, Bucky close behind him. Clint settled on the bed on his back and smiled up at Bucky, biting his lower lip. “You know what to do?” he asked. 

“I might've done a little research,” Bucky admitted, spreading lube over his fingers and across Clint’s hole. Clint shivered at the cool feeling but relaxed as it slowly warmed up and Bucky massaged him with his thumb. 

Natasha crept up the stairs, shooing Liho down, and plopped herself down on the other side of the bed with her book. They stared. “Carry on.”

Clint nodded at Bucky, starting to wriggle against him as he got more aroused. 

“Patience,” he chided, slowly sliding his first finger into him, groaning at the heat. Clint shut up, for once, and his face morphed into an expression of pleasure. Bucky gently moved it in and out, adding more lube before curling it up against Clint’s prostate. 

Clint let out a loud moan, cursing and starting to move against Bucky’s finger. He fisted his hands into the sheets and arched up off the bed. 

Bucky smirked, adding more lube before slowly pressing in a second finger. Clint’s eyes widened at the feeling of being filled. “More,” he rasped, gyrating his hips as Bucky added a third finger and slowly began fucking them in and out of Clint, scissoring them to open him up. 

Natasha slowly put her book down and watched with mild amusement.

Bucky slowly withdrew his fingers before rolling on the condom and coating it in extra lube. “You ready?” He asked Clint, placing his cock against the other man's entrance. 

“If you don't get in me now, I'm going to strangle yo---Oooh fuck.” He moaned as Bucky slid into him easily, his own cock throbbing and leaking precome. “Move, dear god Buck, please move.” Clint whimpered, clenching down around Bucky's cock, making the other man curse. 

Bucky slowly started thrusting into Clint. “Fuck baby, you're so tight,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss Clint bruisingly. 

Clint cried out as the shift in positioning made Bucky’s cock press against his prostate. “Yeah, just like that,” he whispered, closing his eyes as Bucky started fucking him quickly, a bruising handle on his hips. 

“God, Clint, you feel so good,” Bucky groaned. “What a good boy,” he purred, reaching down stroke Clint’s cock as he moved in and out of him. “Gonna come baby, want you to come with me,” he commanded in a gruff rumble. 

Clint nodded, rocking his hips back against Bucky’s and up into his fist, spilling  his release all over his stomach and chest with a high pitched groan of Bucky’s name. Bucky stiffened after that, coming into the condom and pressing his face into Clint’s neck, grunting as he rode the wave of pleasure. 

“That was great,” Clint slurred, rubbing Bucky’s back as the other man slowly pulled out of Clint before collapsing practically on top of him. 

“Well that was entertaining,” Natasha purred, running her fingertips down Bucky’s spine. “I’m not cleaning the sheets.” She reached between Clint and the bed to get some of his come on her finger and licked it clean, wrinkling her nose as she did.

“After a nap,” Clint mumbled, closing his eyes and pulling Natasha closer to cuddle. 

“I’ll break up with you if you sleep in your own sweat and come.” She wriggled away, sitting up and brushing herself off.

“Don't be like that baby. Just five minutes..” Clint whined. 

“You can nap. I’m going to do yoga downstairs.” Natasha left and moved the coffee table aside to make room for her yoga mat like she always did. Lucky tromped over, wagging his tail and climbing underneath her while she went through the positions. 

Clint mumbled something unintelligible as she left, snuggling closer to Bucky and dozing off. 

Lucky didn’t stop bothering her. “Clint, I’m not taking your damn dog out to shit without clothes on, and I’m not cleaning up after him if he goes in here,” she yelled up to the loft.

Clint cursed and wiggled out from under Bucky, wiping himself off with his shirt before pulling on Bucky’s and a pair of boxers. Still half asleep, he stumbled downstairs and clipped on Lucky’s leash, taking him out to the little patio yard they had in the complex and letting him do his business. 

Natasha greeted him with a kiss on the cheek when he came back. “Good boy.” She went back to her mat and dropped into downward facing dog position.

It was only then that he noticed Natasha was doing yoga with no clothes on. “Oh, hello there,” he murmured, raising an eyebrow. She waved coyly and rolled into crow position.

Clint couldn't help but to blush as he got quite the view. “Uh, well, I’m gonna go back upstairs. And sleep. Again.” He tripped up the stairs trying to watch her as he went up to the loft. Natasha smirked. 

Bucky shifted when Clint dropped back onto the bed. “What’s up?”   
  
“Natasha’s doing yoga. Naked. On the carpet.” Clint yawned. “She looks so damn good doing it.”

Bucky snuggled closer to Clint, tucking his face against the archer’s neck. “Mmm I hope she'll still be doing it after this nap.” 

“Depends on how long you nap!” she called up.

Clint shrugged before kissing Bucky’s temple, dozing off once Lucky curled up at their feet and Baby Girl was settled on Bucky’s side. 

Bucky woke up and picked up his cat before climbing out of bed before making his way downstairs. Clint was out cold, and wouldn’t even notice. “Mmm what a wonderful site,” he commented to Natasha, who was just finishing up her yoga routine. 

“If I was a housewife, you might get this every morning. But I’m not, so it’s whenever I want.” She moved through one last position before standing and rolling up her mat neatly. Natasha poured herself a glass of water and sat beside him on the couch. “You want to talk about Prague?”

“Do I have a choice?” he asked softly, curling into himself slightly.

Natasha rested her head on his shoulder and scratched his scalp gently. “You’ll talk one way or another. Probably better while that asshole is still asleep.”

“He’s not an asshole..” Bucky mumbled, still trying to deflect. He gave a soft sigh as she started petting him and relaxed under her touch. “I...I was captured by the enemy for a week. The leader of the Czech gang we were trying to take down..apparently he had a brother that I had killed before coming to the academy. I don’t remember it, but he took it out on me. Extraction got to me just in time.” 

“He’s our asshole.” She nuzzled his neck as he spoke, keeping quiet. Shit like this happened far too often for them, but it didn’t mean they were any better at dealing with the aftermath.  

Bucky nodded silently, closing his eyes and pressing his nose into Natasha’s hair. “I healed up okay. Only left with a few scars,” he chuckled humorlessly. 

“I noticed,” she said softly. He healed quickly, same as her, but she’d noticed a few new marks on his skin the day before. Natasha climbed into his lap to hold him better, ignoring the protesting from the cat she’d displaced. “I’ll christen them if you want.”

“Please?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly. He had been doing okay at keeping it together for the past day and a half, but he wanted his past absolved. He missed Natasha’s process of worshipping the new scars, making them okay and letting him accept them. 

She nosed her way around his torso, behaving almost like a contortionist as she found new scars and kissed them gently. There were a few others she’d apparently missed from earlier days and she also took care with the bruising from their sparring session. When she was done, she sat back up and cupped his face in her hands. “You’re perfect,” she said solemnly. 

Bucky nodded, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he allowed himself a display of weakness. “I love you,” he choked out, leaning into her touch.

“Hey, hey it’s okay.” She kissed the corner of his eyes. “I love you too.”

“When will my past stop haunting me?” he asked brokenly. “I can’t escape it, no matter what I do.”

She laughed, bitter and short. “I’m the wrong person to ask.” She rested her head on his chest. “You’re in the wrong business for escaping.”

“Maybe I should get a farm,” he joked, kissing her forehead. He paused for a minute, relaxing and focusing on the steady rhythm of Natasha’s breathing. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“You’d die of boredom on a fucking farm,” she whispered back, but her tone wasn’t as scathing as it could’ve been. 

Bucky chuckled, shaking his head fondly. He rubbed her back, tracing around her spine with a finger.

“You good?” she whispered after a moment, looking up at him.

“I am now. Thank you,” he smiled softly down at her. 

She hesitated, biting her lip, before kissing him so light and tender. “Any time.” Steve had told her that she took on too much emotional burden, he could tell after a few weeks of knowing her, but it helped her function and feel like she was needed.

Bucky wrapped his arms around her and grinned as Clint came down the stairs, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Lucky bounded down after him, running circles around the couch.

“Aww, no yoga,” Clint whined, shuffling through the fridge for some soda. 

“You got a view already,” Natasha replied from beneath Bucky’s arm. She reached out and patted his knee. “Anything you want to get off your chest?”

“Uhm… Maybe that I love both of you guys?” Clint shrugged, sipping his soda, coming to sit on Natasha's other side. 

“Doesn’t count.” She stayed firmly put in Bucky’s arms.

“I dunno Nat. I haven't been doing anything ‘cept being home with you,” he murmured. 

“Doesn’t mean there can’t be something going on.” Natasha took the soda out of his hands and moved it out of his reach. “I don’t understand why you drink that shit. It’s all empty sugar.”

Clint shrugged. “It's good,” he pouted but didn't reach for the half empty soda. “Barney called again. I didn't answer, but he left a voicemail.” His older brother had been trying to get in contact with him since their father died, but Clint didn't want anything to do with him, or Trickshot, or the Swordsman. 

“At least you got an excuse, you were sleeping.” Bucky leaned to get the soda and drank the other half himself, patting Natasha’s head when she wrinkled his nose. “I had to deal with this one sitting in my lap.”

“I hate you both,” she spat bitterly, but was too comfortable to wriggle away and prove her point.

“I bet it wasn't that bad, Buck,” he laughed, kissing Natasha’s forehead. 

“It was horrid, she wouldn’t stop squirming!”

“That’s a lie.” Natasha raked her nails across his side. 

Bucky winced but didn't retaliate, instead continued to rub her back gently. He wouldn’t win in a fight right now, not like this.

“What about you Tasha? It's your turn to share you feelings,” Clint pointed out. It was only fair. 

“I hate you both,” she said again, popping back up and looking at Clint. Blatant lies were always better than the truth.

“Tasha, hey,” Clint whispered, rubbing her back. 

“You’re both so disgustingly attractive,” she mumbled shifting into his touch. “I hate it.”

“So are you, baby.” Clint murmured, kissing her temple. 

“Yes, but you love it. I hate it.” Bucky lessened his hold on her and she moved to curl across both their laps. “But I like this.”

“We like this too,” Clint whispered, rubbing her hip. 

She hummed happily, content for the time being, and a little drowsy again from yoga. 

Clint grinned and leaned down to kiss her shoulder. Bucky started combing his fingers through Natasha’s loose red curls. 

A moment passed, then Natasha peeked up at them. “Got lucky,” she said confidently. And then a little softer as she settled back down, “Yeah. I got lucky.”

Clint smiled down at her gently. “We all got pretty lucky here,” he murmured. “Sleep love. You're tired.” 

Natasha made a noncommittal grunt and nuzzled into Bucky’s lap before dozing off. 


	5. Rwanda is not a good vacation spot

The chirping of a phone woke Natasha, and since it was literal chirping, she jabbed Clint in the kidneys. “Answer your phone, Clinton,” she grumbled, waking the archer from where he had dozed off watching TV.

Clint scrambled for his phone, placing it to his ear and yawning. “Barton,” he mumbled. “Yes sir. Yes. I'll come in right away. You got it. See you.” He hung up the phone and groaned loudly, pushing himself up off the couch, much to the displeasement of the others. 

Natasha even went so far as to scratch him for moving, and he was sure if she was more cognisant she would’ve done worse. “The fuck was that,” she said, resettling against Bucky. “Got called out?” She heard her phone vibrating on the loft floor upstairs and groaned. 

“Yeah. I'm headed to Rwanda,” he called, going upstairs to dig out his go bag, throwing Natasha's phone down over the balcony and onto the couch, right beside her hand. 

She saw a missed call from HQ and dumped it on the floor. It buzzed again, and she picked it up like it was a piece of moldy food. “Hello?...yes...yes sir.” She flopped off the couch and whined.

“They calling you for the same mission or a different one?” he asked, coming back downstairs in his uniform with his go bag, his new collapsible Recurve bow and his quiver. Lucky whined loudly, coming to lick Clint’s knee, knowing his owner was leaving. Clint scratched behind the dog’s ears. “I'll be back soon, Luck,” he promised. 

“Same fucking mission. Rwanda. You wanna get my bag out from underneath the bed? I gotta put on clothes.” Although she was still going upstairs, this would be faster.

Clint darted back upstairs for Natasha's bag, putting it down with his stuff. She followed him slowly and pulled on presentable clothes. Bucky’s phone rang while she was changing, and she chucked it down onto the couch.

“I’m gonna fucking kill HQ,” she mumbled, going downstairs to pull on shoes. 

Bucky answered the phone with a clipped tone, speaking lowly before hanging up. He trudged upstairs to change and grab his bag. “We won a couples vacation to Rwanda. All expenses paid,” he joked dryly, putting on his uniform as well and lacing up his boots. “Should I call Steve to watch the animals?” he asked. 

“They should give you a better break,” Clint said, dialling Steve’s phone. “Hey man, we all got called out. Can you come watch Lucky and the cats?....yes, cats plural...Same thing as last time. Thanks.”

Bucky laughed bitterly. “They've never given me a good break,” he mumbled, picking up Baby Girl to snuggle her close before setting her back down.    


Natasha patted his shoulder. “It’s okay  _ kotik,  _ we give you a good break.” She shouldered her bag and bent down to give Liho some love. “Can’t believe I’ll miss you, you stupid scrap of fur.” Liho rubbed against her, and she stood up. 

“Come on, assholes, let’s try and be on time,” Clint said cheerfully. He fished out his keys and disappeared out the door.

“Why couldn’t they have told us about this when we were here earlier this morning?” Natasha grumbled when they entered HQ.

“Did you tell Steve he has to bring Baby Girl to the vet for her shot while we’re gone?”

“Tell him yourself.” Clint moved into the room easily before Bucky could protest.

Bucky sighed and sent Steve a quick text before following his partners into the briefing room. Clint had already propped his feet up on the table, and Natasha was idly glaring at everyone in the room. If anything, she hated being interrupted while she was sleeping in a safe place.

The mission was simple. Well, simple was the wrong word. Straightforward. If it were simple, they’d only need one or two of them, not all three. Lots of shooting, lots of stealth, and some intel or something that needed to be recovered. They would fly out in a half hour and call evac when they were done. If they finished too early, they probably did something wrong.

Clint took his file and flipped through it before getting out the bag of sunflower seeds he kept in his go bag. “So who wants to do what?” he asked. “I'm partial to the shooting part of the mission.” 

“We all are,” Natasha reminded him, taking her own folder. “We call it as we see it, yes?”

“Other than stealth, that’s on you,” Clint retorted. 

“Sounds good to me,” Bucky piped up. 

“Now that you’ve managed to talk things out, let’s get on a jet. Wheels up in ten,” Fury ordered as he walked by them. “And keep your focus on this, I’m only trusting it to you three because I know you can handle it individually.” Relationships weren’t frowned upon but it was always a liability on certain missions. Harder still with three.

Clint rolled his eyes as Fury walked past, picking up his bag of sunflower seeds. “Well, let's board our jet,” he grinned. He was a little nervous with Bucky being sent on another mission so soon after his last one, but didn't let his feelings show. Natasha could read him somehow though, she always could, and she brushed her fingers across his back when she walked beside him.

Clint’s shoulders relaxed at her touch. “Come on, I'm dying to get a good tan,” he smirked. “Assuming I'll be on a rooftop somewhere.” 

“Hardly.” Natasha shoved him onto the quinjet ramp and hung back for Bucky to catch up. “Steve get all your special instructions for your demon?”

Bucky nodded. “He knows how to take care of animals.”

“And will you be okay?” She watched him carefully, reading what was below the surface of his steeled face.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

Natasha lulled him to sleep on the jet, scratching his scalp gently while she memorized the briefing. 

Clint came to sit next to them as the plane started to take off. “You think he’ll be okay?” he asked softly, rubbing the other man’s back. 

Natasha shrugged. “He’ll pull through this one, but I’m telling Fury to take him off the books for at least a month. No psych evals, just time off.”

“Did he talk about Prague with you?” Clint bit his lip, rubbing Bucky's hip. 

Natasha just nodded quietly. She didn’t know how much Bucky could hear in his sleep, and if he wasn’t going to share it with Clint, he didn’t have to know that she had. The jet landed not soon after, and she woke him gently. “We’ve got work to do.”

They set up in a motel, sweeping for bugs, unpacking equipment, and triple checking weapons. Clint tried to lighten the mood by cracking jokes as he readied his quiver. Natasha glared at him while she cleaned one of her pistols. If this were their own home, there would be a knife embedded in the bed by his knee. Bucky was quiet, reading his own file since he’d slept on the jet. 

“Don’t know how a bunch of white people are going to go undercover in Africa, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Clint muttered.

“Oh baby, it’s because we’re tourists.” Natasha flashed a fake grin before going back to her work seriously.

“Fucking scary how you do that.” Clint put his gear down onto the bed.

“So, how do we want to do this?” Bucky asked softly. 

“Like we do everything for this job. Act like ignorant Americans, get information, and strike when we have conclusive information. And no obvious weapons.”

“Awh, bow.” Clint pouted, looking at his weapon of choice. 

“You can use it, just not when you’re out and about.” She tossed a small pistol at him. “Take this for protection. Your bow will come in handy later. Now, I’m hungry, I don’t know about you two.”

Bucky slid weapons into his clothes quickly. “‘I’m ready.”

Clint tucked the pistol into the waistband of the street clothes he had changed into. “Should we get some real authentic Rwandan food? Maybe take the opportunity to cement our covers?” 

“Are you under some impression you can get American food here, Clint?” Natasha slipped knives into her boots and in other places that the boys were always surprised she could hide weapons.

“A man can only hope for burgers and fries,” Clint retorted. 

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, boys. My boyfriend and my cousin. Or brother. Time to get lost in the streets.”

Bucky grinned. “Dibs on being the boyfriend!” he exclaimed before Clint could speak. 

“Awh, Buck.” 

Natasha pursed her lips. “Neither of you are passing as my brother. Okay, college students going on a trip around the world before they settle down. That should be easy enough. Who I choose to kiss is my own prerogative.” With that, she left the room, heading out into the city.

Clint made a face at Bucky and followed Natasha outside, sliding on his sunglasses. 

They spent the better part of the day exploring and adjusting to the time zone change. Jet lag was never allowed on a mission, but afterward when they got home no one gave a shit as long as the paperwork was turned in. Natasha scoped out places that were busy for eavesdropping in general, and Clint tried a lot of food in the market.

“That's our target,” Clint mumbled through a mouthful of plantains. 

Natasha raised an eyebrow at Clint, and blatantly ignored the target. There’d be time enough to get what they needed in places that weren’t crowded markets.

Clint grinned at Bucky and offered him some of his plantains, catching another glance at the guy they were tracking. White, brown hair, ear piercings. “ _ Did the file give a name _ ” he signed to Natasha inconspicuously. 

“ _ Not now, _ ” she signed back before looking at some of the cloth for sale. Leave it to Clint to have forgotten the file. She’d talk to him about it back in the motel.

“ _ He looks familiar, _ ” he signed, frowning. He passed Bucky the rest of the plantains and walked around the market, trying to get a better view of the target. He was buying a necklace with some francs they had gotten upon arrival when he caught sight of the man's face in the reflection of a mirror and froze. The saleswoman nudged him and handed him the necklace and his change. He came back to Natasha and Bucky, clasping the necklace with the black jewel around her neck, pecking her shoulder. “I need to go,” he whispered in her ear before moving back towards the motel. 

She frowned, touching the necklace and looking at Bucky. “Should we keep wandering?”

Bucky nodded. “We’ll see what happened when we go back. I need a better scope of the area,” he mumbled.

She kissed his cheek. “Well come on then, I need to see which bars are good.”


	6. Natasha does have feelings, it's just not in her personnel file

Clint was on the bed with his head in his hands, chest heaving, almost in full blown panic attack mode as Bucky and Natasha came back in. Immediately, Natasha dropped beside him to rub his back gently. She glared at Bucky, signing for him to get the water bottle out of Clint’s bag.

Bucky did as instructed, opening it and handing it to Clint. He drank thirstily, then leaned heavily against Natasha as his breathing seemed to even out. 

“Will you talk?” Natasha coaxed gently, rubbing his arm. She brushed her lips against the crown of his head. 

Clint make a whimpering sound and shook his head. “ _ Can't, can't breathe, _ ” he signed. “ _ Target Jacques. Swordsman. _ ” He let out a choked sob, pressing his face into Natasha's neck. He hadn't meant to break down, but the flashbacks came back to him in the marketplace and they were vivid. 

Natasha growled at Bucky to sit on the corner of the bed, and she dragged herself and Clint to rest against the headboard. She held him, rubbing his arms, back, wherever she could reach to soothe him. She murmured softly in Russian to him, to ground him a little and remind him who he was with. She rarely had to deal with his panic attacks, but she knew which sort of things he and Bucky did that calmed her down, and so she could handle it. She was ready to kill Fury though; first he didn’t give Bucky a break between missions and then he tossed Clint into this one with barely any warning.

Bucky looked on for what felt like hours until Clint had calmed down and lay half dozing in Natasha’s lap. Her eyes flicked to him, and she allowed him to climb back into the bed with them. Bucky knew there was something they weren’t telling him, but he wouldn’t press.

“I'm sorry,” Clint croaked, looking up at Natasha and Bucky with red rimmed eyes. 

“Shh,  _ sobachka,  _ it's okay,” she soothed him softly. “You didn't know. You couldn't have known.” 

“Coulda read the file,” he mumbled, burrowing down again. 

She knew, the name hadn’t registered for her though, but she knew his past. She pulled him up again, held his chin, and kissed him softly. “It’s okay.”

Clint nodded, curling up with her and closing his eyes. “I don't.. I don't want to interact with him. I can't,” he whispered. 

“You don’t have to. It’s fine. Bucky and I can handle it. You can stay here, be a watchdog.”

Clint hummed softly. “I can do that, yeah, I can do that,” he mumbled. He clung to Natasha’s shirt, shaking.

“Are you okay?” Natasha asked softly. “You scared me,” she admitted in a whisper. 

“I am now.” He kissed her forehead, lingering there.

Bucky watched their exchange observantly, trying to put this together without overstepping his bounds. “Do you want some water?” he asked quietly.

Clint nodded. “Thank you,” he whispered, taking the water bottle and finishing it rather quickly.

Natasha pecked his lips and kept rubbing his back. “It’s getting late, would you like food before we sleep? We brought back some easy groceries but if you want something that isn’t soup, I can get us something.”

“Soup is fine. Soup is good,” he whispered, letting out a yawn. Panic attacks always wore him out, and he didn’t want to inconvenience anyone again.

Natasha nodded. “Are you okay for me to go prepare the soup?” She didn't want to send him panicking again because she got up. It had happened once before, and he thought she had been leaving him. 

Clint nodded and watched forlornly while she heated the soup up in the motel room’s microwave. She poured a good portion of it into a plastic bowl and gave it to him. Another can was heated up and they were split for her and Bucky. Clint ate slowly, letting the food warm him up. Natasha sat beside him, a close presence that he was grateful for. Bucky sat at their feet, back against Natasha’s shins. 

“New plan?” Bucky asked after a while. He leaned his head back on Natasha’s knees and looked at her upside down.

Clint nodded as he stirred his soup with the spoon absently. 

“I’ll take care of stealth and recon, Bucky, you take care of firepower, and Clint will be in charge of maintaining the base and backup only if needed. Everyone still gets comms.”

Bucky nodded, returning to eating his soup. “You think if we get this done quickly we can use the rest of the time to have a vacation somewhere?”

Clint felt bad that he was unable to do anything other than base maintenance, but he knew that if it came down to it, he wouldn't be able to hurt Jacques. He also knew that Jacques would stop at nothing to kill him if he knew Clint was even in the area.  “I’d settle for a vacation at home,” he said quietly. 

Natasha purred quietly beside him. “Let’s get paid for this one first, hmm?’

Clint nodded. “Anything else on the agenda for today?” he asked Natasha. 

“It’s night already, so no. Adjusting to the time zone is on the agenda right now.” 

“I can get on board with that,” he chuckled, kicking off his clothes slowly before curling up in Natasha's arms. 

Bucky put away all the dishes into the washer before stripping down and joining his partners in bed. They managed to cram together into one of the beds in the motel room, but Natasha squirmed free to push the other full size bed against it for more room. “ _ I love you _ ,” she mumbled in Russian. “ _ But if it gets too hot I’m kicking you boys out. _ ”

Clint managed a laugh and tapped Bucky’s arm. “She says we’re hot.”

“No she didn’t.” Bucky hummed and tucked his head against Natasha’s side.

“Close enough,” Clint mumbled, snuggling between the two, letting himself want the extra cuddles and comfort. 

Natasha sighed and readjusted for Clint’s burrowing. She could almost pinpoint the part of the night the heat would get unbearable and she’d have to deal with them, but for now, he deserved a little love.

Clint sighed happily and dozed off quickly, with Natasha scratching his scalp and Bucky rubbing his back. They stayed close in bed until very early in the morning, when Clint kicked Bucky aside in his sleep and almost rolled on top of Natasha. She woke up and grumpily resigned herself to the other bed.

In the morning, Natasha showered off the sweat and woke the boys. “Intel gathering day,” she murmured when kissing them awake. “I hope you like bread for breakfast.”

Bucky laughed, sitting up and yawning, as Clint grumbled and rubbed his eyes. “You spoil us Tasha,” Clint mumbled as he sat up. 

“Only because I don’t blast foghorns in your ear to wake you up in the morning anymore.” She set about checking the comms and making little piles for each of their stuff. “Bucky, how well do you know the file?”

“Well enough,” he said, a piece of bread hanging out of his mouth while he put on pants.

“Shower first,” Natasha ordered, taking the bread out of his mouth. “And then we’ll talk.” Bucky slunk away to shower.

“Because it's rude as fuck to blast foghorns in the deaf guys ear,” Clint teased, eating a slice of bread as he set his hearing aids to their comm channel. 

“You’ll have to take that up with Fury. I can’t claim that idea as my own.” When the shower turned on, she crept closer. “You’ll be fine today. Practice that mediation thing Bruce was showing you a while back.”

Clint nodded silently. “Wish I had the animals,” he murmured. “Being alone sucks.” 

“Hey, we’ll be in your ear all day. We get this done, we can go home and sleep for a week with them.”

Clint looked up to her and smiled sadly. “Just try to get this mission done quickly.” 

She snuggled up to him. “I will. I’m effective, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” he murmured, kissing her collarbone. “Are you gonna take the target out?” he asked quietly after a while. 

“If I can’t, you know Bucky will. But I’ll do it up close and personal if you’d prefer.” Natasha basked in the attention until Bucky emerged, clean and dressed. She threw the bread at him. “Clint, we’ll leave after you clean up.”

Clint grumbled good naturedly and went to shower. Natasha ran over the plans for the day with Bucky, making sure all the comms worked. Before they left the motel room, she kissed both of them firmly. “I love you,” she said softly, then dragged Bucky out into the city again.

Natasha really was a credit to her profession. In the span of one day out, she’d managed to locate information about the product drop, find out what sort of information was being bought, and manage to place a tracker on Jacques through a cleverly disguised trip and false gushing about how wonderful it was to see another American on her trip through Africa with her boyfriend. The whole thing came through the comms, and Clint managed a smile in the midst of his meditation. His heart rate did spike a bit as he could faintly hear Jacques through the comms, but he forced himself to relax. 

After his meditation, he practiced some acrobatics in the room, doing handstands and backbends. He was sure Natasha, Bucky, or both, would appreciate the flexibility. He stretched out afterwards and sat in bed. “How're you two doing?” he asked through the comms, juggling some fruit they had in the room. 

“Heading back,” Natasha purred. She slipped through the crowds with Bucky, toting some local food and new knowledge. When they got back to the motel, she promptly lay back in the bed. “What did you get up to?”

“Took your advice, and then practiced some old skills. What about you two?” Clint asked, rubbing her back absently as he watched Bucky go into the bathroom. 

“Got everything we needed, a time and a location. Drop is in two days, so we have another day to gather information if we want.” She hummed at his touch. “So what sort of old skills?”

“Acrobatics, tumbling, juggling, that sorta stuff,” he murmured, smiling at Bucky as he reemerged from the bathroom. Bucky settled on his other side and Clint rubbed his back as well. 

“My boys,” Natasha sighed, distributing the takeout. “I better not get tired of either of you.” She left off  _ because you mean too much _ **_._ **

“I should hope not. Why would you get tired us us?” Bucky wondered. 

“Because you’re mine,” she said simply, and then after a moment. “Because I don’t know.”

Bucky looked concerned for a moment, but relaxed when Clint rubbed his back once more, and he settled to rest his head on the man’s thigh. 

“We’re going to get that son of a bitch,” Natasha murmured, pressing her lips against Clint’s ear. As she ate, she pulled a knife out of her cleavage and put it on Clint’s lap. “I’ll use this if you want, I swiped it from you a few months ago.”

Clint fiddled with the knife and thought back to how badly Jacques abused him, twisted him, and eventually left him for dead. He nodded, handing her the knife back. “Make it slow,” he whispered icily. 

“I’ll enjoy it,” she replied.

Bucky was sort of taken aback. He had never heard Clint sound so emotionally distant and cold. That was more Natasha's thing. “This man… He hurt you?” He asked Clint, tilting his head up to look at the archer, noting how his jaw clenched at his question. 

Natasha set the knife aside and nuzzled Clint to give him a little distraction from the memories.

Clint gave a short nod. “He trained me, and then he guilted me into helping him steal and lie and kill, and almost killed me when I finally stood up to him. Barney didn't even stop him, just went with him and Trickshot as they left me, bleeding and half dead,” he murmured, eyes glazing with old memories. 

“That's why you don't call your brother back…” Everything seemed to click together for Bucky. “Clint, I'm sorry,” he whispered, sitting up to kiss his forehead. 

Clint's eyes fluttered closed and he nodded. “Thank you,” he whispered, voice cracking. 

Bucky tucked his head against Clint’s shoulder. “Well I’m a part of your life now for better or worse, so I gotta help you out somehow.”

“I want to help you too,” he whispered, kissing Bucky’s temple.

“We can all help each other in a variety of ways once we get out of here, does that sound lovely?” Natasha rolled her neck and stretched out on their legs. 

“Perfect, beautiful,” Clint whispered running a hand through her hair. “When will the mission be completed?” he asked her softly. 

“Drop is the day after tomorrow. We recover the information, and wipe Jacques off the map.” She looked up at him. “We could use you up high for the drop, if you wanted. Need some way to stun everyone in the room. If he’s there, I’ll put on a show for you."

Bucky wrinkled his nose. “Why did they have to send all three of us. It seems too easy.”

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Maybe they just wanted to make sure we could be paired up together without conflict.” Natasha closed her eyes. “I’m not getting cocky over this, just logically planning."

“I have a few sonic arrows. Is that the kind of stun you're looking for?” he asked. “And that's a show I would enjoy.” He paused, and smirked. “I think Fury is just testing us.” 

“Yeah just warn us before. If we knock these guys out, we can tie them up and call in backup and extraction while I go for the ringleader. Bucky, you’re manpower.”

Bucky nodded. “Sounds good to me. Do I get to use my Vityaz this time?” 

“ _ Of course you can, _ ” Natasha purred, the Russian spilling from her lips. “That’s why I bring you along.”

Bucky grinned. “ _ Perfect, _ ” he murmured. 

“Okay, you two really need to give me more Russian lessons,” Clint sighed, exasperated at his limited vocabulary. 

“All in good time,  _ sobachka, _ ” Natasha promised. “I’ll make it worth your while to know more than the basics...especially the dirty stuff.”

“That's very important when I live with you two,” Clint chuckled. 

“Mmm, well I’d love to start now but I happen to need my rest. This city takes a lot out of me, and I want to be ready for whatever we encounter in the next two days.” Usually missions with three people didn’t have this much down time. Natasha was bitter about it, but she knew that it was a test, and she was determined to keep her edge.

Clint got up to turn off the lights, curling up in front of Natasha, Bucky behind her, and kissed her forehead. “Night,” he whispered, receiving two murmured responses. He closed his eyes and dozed off, legs tangled with his partners. 


	7. Russians and their vodka

Natasha spent the second day gathering more intel, looking for hiding places and getting a sense of the area the drop was happening. She was on edge, looking for any reason this mission might go wrong, or that her intel was incorrect. Bucky flanked her side, playing up the boyfriend girlfriend cover they had going, and the locals ignored them. 

“I want a bottle of vodka after this,” she muttered, sitting on the dirt. “And I want it charged to the SHIELD account.”

“Awh babe, being my girlfriend isn’t  _ that  _ hard,” Bucky teased, sitting beside her. “This mission is weird…” Bucky murmured softly. “I don't like it.” 

“It’s too easy. I’m worried.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “ _ That’s _ why I want vodka.”

“You think it's a test? Or a trap?” 

“Both. Or. I can’t see why Fury would want to trap us. Test us, yes. But it’s like he knew Clint wouldn’t look too closely at the files before getting on the plane. Or that you weren’t fully recovered from Prague. He  _ wants _ us at our lowest point, whatever it is he’s trying to prove.”

“So what’s your test?”

Natasha shrugged. She drew in the dirt quietly, thinking. “Separating work from you, I think.” She sighed and pressed her face into his neck. “Came from a place where emotions were weak. I think he wants to see if that’s still the case.”

Bucky wrapped his arms around her and sat silently for a long while before rubbing her arm. “I know that, and I know it’s not true. We’re going to finish this, leave, and you’ll get that vodka.”

Natasha nodded. “Do you want to go back to the motel?” She was going to worry about Clint the entire time they were away from him. Which, if her theory was correct, was exactly what Fury was trying to figure out: could she handle a mission with this sort of distraction. 

Bucky nodded. “Let's go,” he murmured, standing up with her and brushing the dirt off of his pants. “I bet he's asleep,” he chuckled. 

Clint was sleeping when they returned, and Natasha immediately burrowed against him in a halfhearted attempt to wake him nicely. Instead of complaining, Clint pulled her tight, mumbling about pillows and air conditioning while he re-settled.

Bucky smiled and opted to double check everyone’s weapons and organize everything they brought with them. He knew there might not be much time before extraction, and he saw value in Natasha’s instincts. 

Clint forgot where he was when he woke up, nuzzling Natasha for kisses and fumbling around for his hearing aids. “Mornin baby,” he mumbled sadly when she refused his affections.

“It’s evening, and you’re not at home.” She handed him his other hearing aid. “You get to decide what food from our groceries we’re eating, and you’re making it.”

Clint hummed thoughtfully. “I can make that chicken, rice and black bean dish you guys liked,” he proposed. 

“If we have the stuff, go for it. I need a massage.” Natasha eyed Bucky. A distraction would be nice, even if it was the last one she allowed herself until they finished the mission.

“We have everything. I'll get started,” Clint called, starting to prep the chicken. He did his best over the one shoddy gas burner.

Natasha watched, amused, as Bucky gave her a deep muscle massage. He wasn’t amazing at them, but he had certainly improved since school. 

Clint hummed as he cooked, the smell of seasoned chicken wafting through the air. He put the food into bowls and brought them all over to the bed. “Brought food when you’re done, babe.”

“Which babe?” Natasha murmured, rolling Bucky off of her and reaching for the bowl. “Because I’m certainly done.

“Both babes,” Clint laughed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

“Then you have to make that plural,” she replied, sticking her tongue out. After eating some, she switched into business mode. “Tomorrow we have to be in position before three in the afternoon. 

“Do you want me waiting by to call evac with our bags?” he asked. “After I launch the sonic arrow, of course,” he added. 

“Bags are stored with us, somewhere out of view. As soon as I go after Jacques, call extraction. If there’s any complications, they’ll be there to cover us. And I told Bucky this already, but I’m charging a handle of vodka to SHIELD’s account when we get back. Because I am legal in every other country.”

Clint laughed. “Sounds good,” he agreed. “You're almost 21, then you'll be legal in every country,” he teased her. He was 21 as of a few months ago, and Bucky was 22. 

Natasha growled and finished her food, moving to shower before curling up on the other bed, even though they were still pushed together. “See you tomorrow, boys. You better be well rested, because I want this done as efficiently as possible.”

Clint looked at her, confused. “Did I miss something?” he whispered to Bucky, snuggling up after finishing his own meal.

Bucky shrugged. “Best to talk later, I think,” he replied. 

Clint reached back for Natasha but she scooted out of his reach when his fingers grazed her back. He pouted, hurt, and turned back to nestle against Bucky. 

Bucky wrapped his arms around Clint and kissed his forehead. “Go to sleep, birdie,” he whispered. 

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Clint muttered, closing his eyes and nuzzling into Bucky’s chest. “Gonna make you pay for that sometime soon.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed. “Just sleep.”

Clint kept his mouth closed and kissed Bucky’s collarbone before dozing off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this week, with two more to go! 
> 
> Thanks for sticking around, this may expand into a larger universe series in the future, but we will see.


	8. In which Natasha let's herself get taken care of

Natasha woke at sunrise, gathering herself together and pulling on her tac suit. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she checked and double checked her weapons. When she was satisfied, she pulled civilian clothes over her suit and sat down to eat. “I’m ready,” she said between bites.  Bucky opened his mouth, and she threw food at him.

Clint prepped everyone's bags and triple checked his sonic arrows. He fiddled with his hearing aids to turn on the communication function before sitting down for breakfast too. He was silent as he ate, and then pulled on his suit and put his sunglasses on the top of his head. “Everyone ready?” he asked, putting his bag on his shoulder. 

Bucky finished prepping and straightened up. “Ready.”

Natasha chucked a protein bar at Clint and grabbed her bag. “Let's go,” she murmured. 

And, as Natasha silently predicted, shit went down. Not as much as she’d thought, but enough that getting Jacques was harder than it should’ve been and the kill a whole lot faster than she’d intended. A fraction of the intel had been lost, and she hoped it wasn’t enough to build around. SHIELD’s underground base lab (as she’d discovered the intel had been about) wasn’t quite equipped to deal with an attack, but for now, they’d managed to get control of a situation that had not yet developed. 

One of Clint’s hearing aids was damaged from the sonic arrow, and he spent the plane ride back to New York muttering about how it was supposed to be designed to NOT damage his aids. Bucky’s shoulder was dislocated, but he popped it back in with a shrug and waved immediate medical care from the extraction team. 

Clint noticed the barely-controlled look of rage on Natasha’s face, and knew that it was this mission that caused it. He had a feeling that Fury was behind this shit show and that Natasha had figured that out. He also decided that Bucky knew more about it than he was letting on, but that he’d have to go to Natasha directly when they returned home.

She sulked through the debrief and managed to show up at the apartment at the same time the largest bottle of vodka was being delivered courtesy of SHIELD.

Clint unpacked his bag and checked his bow for any damages he might've missed in Rwanda, and then he stripped before going to the bathroom, turning the water to steaming to wash off the grit and dirt from the mission. Lucky followed him around dutifully, whining and wagging his tail for attention. A replacement hearing aid was being delivered, courtesy of Tony Stark, but it would take a day or two. He hated that he couldn't hear at all from his left ear, but at least Natasha could communicate with him and Bucky could stay on his right side. 

He finished his shower and came out, cleanly shaved and a towel wrapped around his waist. He pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and came into the living area. Natasha was working her way through the vodka at an alarming rate and Clint came to sit across from her. 

Bucky nodded to Clint before taking his turn in the shower. 

“Nat,” he called gently. 

She looked up at him in an almost glare, then swung her legs up on the couch, cradling both the bottle and Liho in her lap. In about five minutes, he knew he’d have to take it from her before she got too tipsy to function. Natasha was a wild card when it came to drinking--and he didn’t want to risk her not being a fun drunk tonight. “What?”

“Do you want to talk? About the mission? Or anything that’s bothering you? Tasha, I know you well enough to know something’s up.” He stretched out his palm toward her, as if she were one of the pets, but Lucky ended up licking his hand. 

Natasha took another swig of vodka. “Fury was testing me,” she spat. “I don't like being looked at like an experiment and that's exactly what he was doing.”

“Well how was he testing you?” He moved Lucky’s snout away and leaned forward.

“Seeing if I could complete a mission with all these emotions… All these distractions mixed in,” she murmured softly, pointedly not looking at Clint, instead focusing on Liho’s flicking tail.

“Generally speaking, I think you passed that test.” Aside from the alcohol, but who was to say she wouldn’t have done this anyway. “And you passed it pretty stellar.”

“That’s not even a grammatically correct sentence,” she growled after a moment.

Bucky padded in softly, shower finished. He leaned against the back of the couch and put a hand on the vodka bottle. Natasha hissed, but he didn’t remove it. “ _ Natashka, perhaps you should save some for later _ .”

Clint was grateful for the interruption, he hadn’t been sure of how he planned to even deal with that issue.

Bucky gently extracted the vodka from her grasp and stored it in the freezer. Natasha curled in on herself, clutching Liho like he was a stuffed toy. Liho mrowled softly and rubbed his head against her chin. Even Lucky padded over to rest his head on her legs. Natasha squeezed her eyes shut.

“Tasha,” Clint whispered. “It's okay. It's over with. We’re all safe at home.” If she whimpered, he couldn’t hear it anyway, so he got up and crept closer, crouching beside the couch.  “We got it done and got out unscathed.”

Bucky sat on the arm and rubbed her calf soothingly. “We're okay, and now we're gonna have that vacation,” he added.

Natasha uncurled slightly and peeked out from behind Liho’s fur. “I want a bath,” she slurred softly into his fur, so softly that only Bucky could hear it. Bucky mouthed the word bath to Clint. He nodded and stood up, going to fill the tub with warm water and her favorite scented oils she used in her baths.

Bucky carefully cradled Natasha in his arms and kissed her forehead. “ _ It's alright, Natashenka. Everything will be alright,”  _ he murmured.  Liho hopped down to pad beside them.

Natasha only flinched a bit; she was too tired to protest the coddling. She fought them when they got to the bathroom, growling about undressing herself. She stripped down, facing away from the boys, before slowly sinking into the tub. She pulled her knees up to her chest, propped her chin on them, and watched Bucky and Clint. Liho amiably hopped up onto the toilet seat before Clint could sit there. 

Clint and Bucky sat beside the tub, watching as she slowly relaxed, the steam and scented oils sobering her and bringing her to remember that she was home, in a safe place. Still, she didn’t know what to do with them staring at her. The bathroom was the only place with a door in their apartment, and it was the best place for her to escape.

Clint seemed to pick up on her anxiety under their stares, he had learned to sense her emotions, and stood up, kissing Natasha's forehead before nudging Bucky. He held the door open, and Bucky stood then, smiling softly at Nat. “Holler if you need anything,” he murmured, closing the door behind him. 

“Like you could hear,” she muttered, watching Bucky forlornly trudge after Clint.

Clint and Bucky flopped down on the couch, Baby Girl creeping into Bucky’s lap and Lucky hopping up to sprawl over Clint. Bucky diverted his attention to his cat, checking her over, and texting Steve a thank you for taking care of her.

Clint looked over at Bucky, studying him. “Did she mention the whole test from Fury to you?” he asked softly. “She's really upset.”

“She did the other day.” Bucky felt a little guilty that Natasha had confided in him first, but he knew it wasn’t his fault. “She thinks we were all being tested.”

Clint hummed softly, thinking. “Makes sense,” he concluded. “Think she'll be okay?”

Bucky shrugged. “She’s resilient, but she might hold this against Fury for a while. It took her too long to trust him in the first place. I think all we can do right now is just give her what she wants, honestly. And make sure she doesn’t get trashed.”

Clint nodded. “We can do that, I just don't want her getting so drunk and tearing the place up.” He didn't mention that his dad would do that, and then beat the shit out of Barney and him. He also didn't mention that he was scared Natasha might do that if she got drunk enough. He didn't think Natasha would, but adding alcohol to an angry and mistrusting Natasha Romanoff was sure to cause some things he wasn't expecting. 

“What she wants minus another bottle of alcohol then,” Bucky said. He looked down at Baby Girl, who was chewing on the hem of his shirt. “Do you want to order takeout? Something Natasha loves? Or make that easy mac n cheese?” 

“I'll make that super cheesy Mac and cheese that she loves,” he murmured, springing into action to start preparing the dish. Lucky followed him around, whining for scraps. 

Bucky laughed. “He only loves you when he’s hungry,” he said, cradling his cat. He only got up to help Clint strain the pasta and mix in the cheese. 

Natasha crept out of the bathroom, bundled in her robe, having spent at least a half hour soaking. Liho was curled around her shoulders like an extra towel, purring loud enough that Bucky could hear it when she got closer. She went upstairs to pull on the cat onesie Bucky had gotten her as a joke gift. It wasn't often that she wore it, but she loved the feel of the soft fleece lining soothing her. 

Clint caught sight of Natasha slinking upstairs and focused on mixing together the noodles and cheese, taking it off the stove once it was perfect. When he was finished with that, he put out food for all the animals, separating Liho’s and Baby Girl’s respective dishes. 

Feeling a little better, Natasha came back down, smelling the food and realized she was hungry. She cradled a warm bowl of mac n cheese in her hands and sat down on the couch, putting down the bowl only to sign a quick  _ thank you _ to Clint before eating.

Clint smiled, mouth full of food, and signed  _ you're welcome _ back to her, going back to eating his dinner. He wasn’t surprised when Natasha went for seconds, and she curled back up on the couch to eat again. Lucky climbed up onto the couch beside her, but whether he was offering comfort or begging for food, Clint couldn’t tell.

She scratched his head gently but refused to share. After finishing her seconds, she got up for another forkful and sat down on Clint’s lap

“Hey Tash,” Clint purred, pecking her cheek and offering her a bite before finishing off his dish. 

Natasha grunted and nestled close, tucking her head against his shoulder. She looked over at Bucky, who was leaning against the counter eating. He came over immediately, sitting on the floor at Clint’s feet to the delight of Lucky, who stuck his face toward Bucky’s bowl.

Bucky scolded the dog, telling him to lay down, and Lucky trudged to his dog bed, looking forlornly at Bucky’s food. 

“I can’t believe he started using that thing,” Clint said. “Probably slept on our bed while we were gone though.”

Natasha wrinkled her nose and whined.

“I’ll change the sheets before bed, I promise.” He patted her hooded head. “How was your bath?”

Natasha simply made a delighted noise and nestled as close as humanly possible. Bucky chuckled and reached up to pat her leg. “It was nice. Thank you,” she whispered, pressing her face into Clint’s neck. 

“Did you enjoy dinner?” he asked, knowing the answer already.

“Always,” she managed a small laugh. “It's my favorite, you know.” 

“Mmm, that’s why we made it.”

“Thanks for wearing my gag gift,” Bucky said. “I promise I won’t tell anyone, but you look adorable.”

Natasha growled. “It’s cozy,” she spat.

Clint rubbed her back. “Well, are you going to stay here and be my personal blanket? Because I’d like that very much. Much better than you getting down to kick Bucky.”

Natasha huffed a little and snuggled against Clint, situating herself to curl against his chest. Her breathing evened out, and Clint realized she’d dozed off on him.

Clint smiled and gently kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her. Bucky turned to look up. “She’s asleep?”

Clint nodded. “And I have to pee, but I don’t really want to get up,” he replied softly. “I’d say you should pick her up, but I think she’s chosen this spot here on my lap for a reason, and I don’t want her to wake up disgruntled.”

“No chance there’s room up there for two, hmm?” Bucky smirked. He stood up as if to check. “I’m going to change the sheets so that when it gets too unbearable, I have somewhere to bring her when you need to get up.”

“Good idea. Thank you, Buck,” he laughed. “I'll hold my bladder for now.” 

“Not for too long, I hope.” He disappeared upstairs, remaking the bed and making sure all the pillows, including some extras from Natasha’s stash, were plumped up and inviting for her. While he was up there, he neatened some of the room. Usually Natasha did that, but he knew she’d feel a little better if she didn’t have to deal with any clutter after this mission. They all needed a little less clutter.

About fifteen minutes later, Clint couldn’t stand it anymore. He motioned to Bucky and breathed a sigh of relief when Natasha was lifted off of him. Bucky brought her up to the loft while Clint bolted to the bathroom. She stirred, grumbling, but adopted her new position and nestled into Bucky.

Clint came back from the bathroom, relieved, and got up in bed, nestling against Bucky's side. “She okay?”

“She’s fine,” Natasha’s voice, muffled by Bucky’s shirt, could only be heard by Bucky.

“She’s fine,” Bucky relayed, earning a small poke.

Clint chuckled, kissing Bucky’s jaw, and then leaned over to kiss Natasha’s. “I love you both.”

Natasha grunted, then fell back asleep. 


	9. In which Natasha lets down her walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the ride now, but thanks for tagging along with us!

She woke up a few hours later when Liho kneaded her thigh, claws out. She gathered him up and carried him downstairs, putting some treats on the counter for him. 

Clint flopped over to lay in Bucky’s lap, reaching up to thread his fingers through Bucky’s long hair. “You think she’ll come back up?”

“Probably.”

As if she knew they were talking about her, she came trudging back up the stairs, Liho perched on her shoulder. Clint straightened up to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with Bucky, and Natasha set Liho down before flopping down to lay on top of both of them. She yawned and blinked up at them. “Miss me?”

“Always,” Bucky and Clint answered in unison. 

Natasha grinned and reached up to pat their cheeks. “Good. All I needed to know.”

Clint tugged on the tail of her onesie. “Anything else, or are you going to go back to sleep on top of us?”

“Where’s my vodka?” The question was sweet, but serious.

Bucky was sharp in his answer. “No.”

Natasha pouted. “I don't need your permission to drink, James.” She stressed his real name, her tone biting. 

“If you really wanted it, you know where I put it, and you’d be downstairs with the bottle not up here with us,” he pointed out. 

“Fine.” She went to move, but Clint held onto her tail.

“Clinton, so help me God-”

“Please don't,” Clint whispered, his voice meager as he avoided eye contact with Natasha, shoulders hunched. 

She grunted. “I’m going to make some tea then.” Clint let go, and she bolted to the kitchen to calm down by making a cup of tea. Baby Girl brushed against her legs curiously. Natasha poured boiling water over the loose tea leaves and carried the steaming mug upstairs carefully. She perched on the far corner of the mattress and drank it slowly, hiding under the hood of her onesie.

Bucky watched her carefully, looking for any sign of a challenge. But Natasha didn’t make any moves, just sat quietly and drank the warm liquid. 

Clint looked between the two, biting his lip. He didn't want to get in between the two in the midst of their silent argument, but he studied them, looking for any signs of conflict. After a while, he decided that they would be okay. Clint moved up to gently scratch Natasha’s back, causing her to arch into his touch. 

She held her mug so it wouldn’t spill and relaxed back against his fingertips with a small noise.

Clint smiled softly, drawing out the words ‘I love you’ on her back with his finger. 

When she finished her tea, she carefully leaned down to put the mug on the floor and crawled between Clint and Bucky. They held her firmly and Natasha was practically purring. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s okay, Tasha, just so long as you always figure it out,” Bucky said, tangling his fingers in her hair. “I know you’re capable of not hurting yourself, but sometimes you worry me.”

Natasha nodded, hiding her face in Clint’s throat. “It felt like Fury was playing me, just like the Red Room did,” she mumbled. 

Clint tightened his arms around Natasha. She made a little noise and wriggled against him.

“ _ That’s behind us now, Natalya, _ ” Bucky murmured softly.

“You talk too much,” she replied, squirming.  

“Tasha, was your tea caffeinated?” Clint tried to rub her back soothingly. “I’m not sure where this mood came from.”

“No,” she responded, breaking free of his arms. “I just… I need…” she stuttered. “I need you. Both of you.” She grabbed Clint’s hand and slipped it down her onesie, and to his delight, he found that she’d opted to wear nothing underneath save for a scrap of underwear. 

Bucky groaned, moving closer. “Steps?” he asked, his breath ghosting around her neck. 

“No time for that,” she moaned, arching her neck. 

Bucky leaned in to start kissing and sucking at her neck, sliding the onesie off her shoulder while Clint unbuttoned it hastily. Natasha mewled when Clint moved his way down her body and nosed her clit. She spread her legs eagerly as Bucky pushed her onesie down her body, the fabric pooling at her ankles. She moaned louder as Clint closed his lips around her clit at the same time Bucky started suckling at her peaked nipples. 

“Damn baby,” Clint murmured roughly, “you're so wet for us.” 

Bucky rumbled approvingly as he kissed her sternum before moving to suck the other nipple in between his lips. “How do you want us?” he asked. 

Natasha grinned, squirming. “Everywhere.” She was still a little tipsy from the vodka and now more awake from her tea, and she felt horny for the second time that week, an unusual occurrence.

Clint nodded, slowly sliding a finger into her as he licked and sucked. He grunted when she grabbed his hair. He added a second finger and suckled noisily at her clit, feeling her thighs start to tremble around his head. 

He pulled back, much to Natasha's displeasure, kissing Bucky heatedly and he continued to finger her slick pussy. He couldn't help but smirk as Bucky moaned against his lips, tasting Natasha on them. He put a condom in Bucky’s hand and pulled his fingers free, trailing them up to brush against Natasha’s lips. 

Natasha whined, pink tongue darting out to lap and suck at his fingers covered in her wetness. She made a delighted noise and tried to grind against whatever was nearest. Bucky sprawled out on the bed, and Clint helped position Natasha onto his lap, stroking Bucky’s cock before guiding Natasha down onto it.  Natasha growled and set a fast pace, slapping her hips against Bucky’s in an effort to drive him to the edge. Bucky tensed up and came with a low groan, pulling Natasha's hips flush against his own and holding her there. 

Clint rolled on a condom and and came up behind Natasha, wetting his fingers with her slick before rubbing her asshole, groaning when Natasha lashed out and scratched him. “No?” he asked carefully, unsure if he’d missed it without his hearing aid.

She twisted off of Bucky and tugged Clint onto her, arching up against him. “None of that.”

Clint nodded. “Sorry, sorry,” he murmured, sliding into her. 

Natasha patted his cheek before thrusting up so he would be seated fully.

Clint groaned, unable to hear the sounds Natasha was making. He moved one of his hands up to lightly rest on her throat, feeling the vibrations now every time she moaned and whined. He kissed along her neck, nipping at the pale column of skin and brushing his lips against it. “I love you,” he mumbled. His pulse was pounding in his ears and he closed his eyes as he continued to fuck Natasha. It was like he was a live wire, and Natasha was the electricity, making his body thrum with pleasure. Maybe she was onto something when she had suggested sex without his hearing aids.

Natasha scrabbled moving until Clint came, and let him rest only for a while before she pushed him off and went to snuggle against Bucky’s side. She yawned and closed her eyes.

Clint cleaned up, bringing over a wet cloth to wipe Natasha clean before laying down behind her, kissing her shoulder and rubbing her hip. 

Bucky whined. “What about me?” he asked quietly, brushing his thumb against her cheek.

Clint huffed theatrically, crawling over Natasha to take off Bucky’s condom and clean him off. Bucky pulled Clint down for a kiss. “Mm thank you,” the archer purred, going to toss the trash away and the cloth into a hamper. He came back to bed, slinging an arm over Natasha to rub at Bucky’s hip lazily. 

Natasha made a small noise and wriggled to get more comfortable. Neither mentioned that her interest in sex had dropped off almost as quickly as it had hit her. That's just how it was sometimes, and they were okay with it. Clint kissed the knob of her spine and gently massaged her scalp. “I love you both,” he whispered. 

Bucky hummed. “I know,” he said.

“I know too,” Natasha mumbled. 

“Go to sleep, asshole,” Bucky poked her gently. “It’s vacation.”


End file.
